Forever You
by Warrior Angel 24
Summary: Tara left Sunnydale after the episode Wrecked. Five years later, she's back with a pack of news that will shake a certain redhead
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers:

These people aren't mine blablabla…

This is my first W&T fiction attempt, so please have mercy!

I'd like to thank my Beta for keeping bugging me to write this, so it's really her fault.

This story is basically a PG13

I love feedback!

Enjoy.

Part 1

Looking out of the window of the plane, she had her gaze lost in space beyond the clouds. It's been five years since the day she took the same route but in the opposite direction. Five years ago Tara Maclay had left Sunnydale and vowed never to come back again.

"Are you ok?" a gentle voice broke her reverie.

"Yeah, just thinking!" answered Tara returning the soft squeeze in her hand.

At the Summers' residency, Buffy and Dawn were trying to calm a frantic redhead.

"Willow, would you please calm down! You're gonna have a heart attack!" exclaimed Buffy "and worse you're making me dizzy."

"How…how do you expect me to calm down Buffy? Five years, it's been five years since I last saw her, or even heard from her not even a 'hello' a 'hi, I'm alive but don't bother calling 'cause I'm not gonna answer it' it's like she just vanished, she crossed me out of her world, I mean nothing to her anymore an… an…and now you just come and drop a bomb like that at me and just expect me to be fine with that…I…I think I'm gonna pass out" she concluded her babbling dropping at a couch nearby.

"It's probably lack of oxygen…breath Will; people need air" joked Dawn "besides you're overreacting. You knew pretty well that Tara was living in England with Giles since she left Sunnydale after you guys broke up. It's nothing like she hadn't sent a word during this time, she emails us" that earned her a piercing glare from the witch "okay, me, she emails me almost every week…"still under Willow's stare, Dawn got uncomfortable "an…an…and Buffy too, she…she talks to Buffy too"

"HEY…thanks a lot!" Buffy threw a cushion at her sister for putting her on the spotlight.

"okay Will, the fact is that Tara IS coming back to Sunnydale, only for two weeks, but still." observed the slayer " the question is: How are you gonna handle that? I mean, what if she had moved on? Big deal, it's not as if you have locked yourself to world either; what about Kennedy? Do you forget you have a girlfriend?"

"No…" sighed Willow "but I never let go of Tara…" she whispered "what if she has someone else? I don't think I can handle that." She ducked her head covering her eyes with both hands and missing the concerned look exchanged by the sisters.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

"Hey I come bearing beverage and food" yelled Xander from the door

"I'm carrying the food…and we paid for it by the way!" shouted Anya coming out of the kitchen "Ann honey, we talked about that remember…be nice!"

Entering in the living room they took a good look at a distressed redhead.

"Hey Will, are you alright?"

"Peachy, just peachy!" answered a grump witch. "The love of my life is coming back to town, my girlfriend is in a jealous rage and not talking to me…and I have the distinct impression that my friends are hiding something from me. I wonder how it can get any worse." She groaned after realizing that she had just jinxed her luck.

And following Murphy's Law, things got worse; a car honked outside and Dawn dashed out the front door followed by Buffy, Xander and Anya who stood in the threshold eager to meet their friends. As soon as she heard the honk, Willow jumped to her feet, but froze in place; she couldn't join the others at the door, she wanted to, but her legs didn't obey her; so she just stuffed her hands in her pockets and stood still.

Five minutes latter Giles entered carrying some luggage which he deposited near Willow and enveloped her in hug. She returned his hug affectionately.

"How have you been Willow?" he asking stepping back

"Fine…I'm fine thank you" she answered smiling sweetly

"I'm glad to hear it, I…" he cut his sentence when he realized the redhead's eyes had strayed from him. Following her gaze he saw Tara standing angelically at the door. Her hair was loose, her skin whiter and her eyes were even brighter.

"So beautiful…" Willow whispered and then, like magic, time stood still, everybody else disappeared when finally blue met green. After five years, Tara and Willow met each other's eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

They kept their stare for a few seconds, but it seemed like forever; Tara then realized what she was doing and broke the trance.

"h-hi…" clearing her throat she continued "hi Willow, how are you?"

Still under the spell, Willow didn't answer. It took Buffy to poke her waist to make her speak.

"Fine…I'm fine thank you. You?"

"Good, I …I'm good too!"

The silence that followed this short dialog made everybody feel awkward. That's when someone came in through the door.

"Hey, where do I put these?"

"Faith?" willow couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hey Red, how's it going?"

"What are you doing here?" asked a very suspicious witch

"Excuse me?" replied Faith getting annoyed by the look in Willow's face

"Ah, Faith has been staying with us for quiet some time now. Haven't you heard?" interjected Giles.

"Staying? What do you mean staying?" Willow asked incredulous

"She lives with us" answered Tara

"Lives? Like 'she is living with us in England' or 'she is living with us under the same roof'?"

"Both" Tara answered softly "You didn't know?" asked Tara looking curiously to Buffy

"You knew about that?" Willow turned to a very embarrassed slayer

"Yeah, I did…How you doing Faith?"

"I'm cool B." said Faith winking at Buffy

Willow was astonished _why did they keep it from me?_

"For the records, I didn't know either." said Xander defending himself

"I knew…"Anya smiled proudly "I wasn't kept in the dark."

"Anya, no one was kept in the dark. It wasn't a big secret." Spoke Giles trying to placate the situation "I'm sure it just slipped the girls' minds to mention the fact. That's all"

"And, how long have you been living in England?" Xander asked

"For three years now" answered Faith

"THREE YEARS?" shouted Willow "you've been keeping this from me for that long!"

"NO!" Buffy replied indignantly "I only found out last week, when I heard they were coming." Suddenly something came to her mind "oh, Dawn knew! Yeah she knew the whooooole time" Buffy finished with a smirk on her face _payback is a bitch…hehehe_

"What makes you think you can trust her? I mean after all she's done…"

"I'm a different person now Red. I served my time and paid for my debts. I fight for good now" replied Faith honestly.

"Indeed." Giles told. "Faith has proved herself many times during these three years. She's been a great valuable help." The watcher informed to a very skeptical redhead.

"And what kind of magic was responsible for this miraculous change?" Willow asked ironically crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Faith sighed audibly "There was definitely magic involved, Red." She then turned to Tara with a big grin breaking on her features. The blond lifted her eyes and smiled sweetly at her

"I was charmed!" concluded the rouge slayer.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

"I was charmed"

Willow felt as if the ground had vanished from under her feet. She felt sick in her stomach. Had she heard it correctly? Was she seeing what she thought she was seeing? Was that love she saw in Faith's look? And why was she looking at Tara? Did that mean…? No it couldn't be, Tara and Faith? No, never. But then, why was Tara smiling? Wait, was Faith holding Tara's hand? Why is she holding Tara's hand? Are they…are they… Willow was getting really angry

"Faith? You're dating Faith?" Willow asked raising her voice "How can you be dating her of all people in the world?" She was breathing heavily "Are you doing it to hurt me?"

"This isn't about you, Willow." Tara's feelings had jumped from shame to annoyance "this is about me and my life." She said point a finger to her own chest.

"But, why Faith?" willow asked in much softer tone.

Taking a calm breath, Tara's features started to soften as well.

"Willow, I didn't choose Faith. It wasn't something planned, it just…happened" Tara felt a squeeze in her hand and turn to look at her girlfriend. Locking her gaze with faith's she continued "Faith has become someone really important in my life. An honest friend; Someone I can turn to in my most difficult times." Faith's smile was dazzling as she heard Tara's words "she and Giles have been my family for the past few years. They took care of me when I was at my worst, they made me smile again." She finished with tears in her eyes. She gently squeezed Faith's hand and turn to look to the rest of the gang. Willow was looking blankly at her, Giles was cleaning his glasses pretending not to be holding back some tears; Buffy was checking her shoes. Xander and Anya were trying hard to be invisible.

The tension was almost palpable so Giles clearer his throat

"ahem, I believe…" he started, but was cut short by a little tornado darting from the door and jumping right onto Tara's arms and almost knocking both of them to the ground. Luckily Faith was close enough to grab them and avoid the fall.

"Easy there kiddo or you're gonna break something!" she scold gently

"Sorry Faith!" she replied softly

"It's ok baby! So, what's the rush?" asked Faith smoothing the little girls blond locks

"Dawn was chasing me…"

"And why is that?" Tara asked still carrying the girl

"She was trying to tickle me, because I called her potato head"

"You called her potato head?...tsc tsc…what did I tell you about calling people names?"

"But…but she called me squirt!" said the little girl pouting

"Hey, no teasing the girl…" warned Faith playfully

Dawn stuck out her tongue to Faith and received a funny face back making the little girl giggle.

"Ok, knock it out you two." Warned Tara "and you miss, you know better than to go rushing around especially in other people's house. You almost knocked me to the floor." Tara reprimanded the little girl in a soft tone making the child blush.

"Sorry mama!"

At that, four pair of eyes almost came out of their sockets.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

"Mama?" four people asked almost in unison

"She has a daughter? Why didn't anybody tell me she had a daughter?" shouted an insulted Anya

"THAT I didn't know!" said Buffy pointing an accusing finger to her sister.

"Man, you're full of surprises today, aren't you?" asked an amazed Xander

"Mama, why is everybody looking at us like that" the girl asked in a small voice burying her head in Tara's neck.

Knowing that her shyness had kicking in, Tara started soothing her little girl

"It's ok baby girl…they're just surprised, that's all. They didn't know mama had a baby." She continued looking at Giles for support "you see, these are mama's old friends and they got very surprised to find out that I have the most beautiful and blessed daughter in the whole world."

"Really?" came a muffled voice from Tara's nape

"But of course! Who wouldn't be amazed by the most angelic creature on Earth?" said Giles in a very affectionate voice. He was rewarded with a toothy smile from the girl.

"Hey squirt…" started Dawn receiving a warning glare from Tara "errr…I mean, kiddo, want some juice? We have your favorite in the fridge."

"May I mama?" of course sweetie "but behave you two…" Tara said while the girls disappear running into the kitchen.

"Fresh battery!" smiled Faith lifting her eyebrows

Willow's mind was running a mile a minute it was like she had been thrown into several loops since Tara's arrival. She was feeling a mix of emotions. Astonishment, anger, and jealousy, sadness… you name one and they'd be there; they were not nice feelings, she knew that, but she couldn't avoid them. She was feeling betrayed and betrayed by the one person she could never believe would hurt her. How could Tara have done this to her? First leaving without a word, not even a goodbye, and now, five years later, she comes back and brings along not only a girlfriend, but a daughter as well. She had started a family, a new family and Willow wasn't part of it. She felt sick "_I'm gonna throw up."_ She thought.

Lost in her thoughts willow didn't hear that she had been spoken to, she only felt a soft hand on her shoulder

"Are you ok Will?" asked a very concerned slayer

Willow lifted her head and noticed that all eyes were on her, except Tara's who seemed to have found something really interesting on her shoes.

Suddenly willow's eyes were drown to a little blond girl getting back into the room

"Look mama, Dawn gave me cookie. She said it was Buffy's" informed the child "what's Buffy's mama?"

Faith let out a hearty laugh caused by the look on the other slayer's face. Buffy narrowed her eyes at her and growled as she heard the rest of the gang giggling. Tara just smiled and kneeled in front of her daughter.

"Honey, it's not 'what', it's 'who'…Buffy is a person, she is Dawn's sister; I told you about her, remember?" the girl nodded excitedly "good, that's Buffy!" Tara said pointing at a now smiling slayer "why don't you go over there and say hi."

The girl approached the slayer and smiling sweetly stretched her hand

"Hi, I'm Ariel…nice to meet you!" kneeling, Buffy replied taking the small hand in hers

"Hi, nice to meet you, too."

"Are you the slayer?" Ariel asked curiously

Surprised Buffy raised both eyebrows and looked at Giles. The watcher simply nodded positively.

"Yes, I'm the slayer" the girl's eyes lit up and she started bouncing

"Cool, just like Faith!"

"Yeah, just like Faith…you know, you're very smart for your age"

"I know." The little girl smiled proudly "my mama always says that I'm very bright. She says that I'm the most intelligent girl in my class and that I'll skip a grade next year cause Mrs. Thompson, she is my teacher, told her that I'm very advanced and I shouldn't stay with the other kids my age cause she knows I'll get bored, which is nice cause I always finish my assignments before my classmates and I have to stay waiting for them and its boring sometimes but sometimes its nice when my best friend Trace finishes early and we start playing together, if I skip a grade I'll miss her cause she is my best friend in the whole world." When she finished she took a breath and looked at Faith who was smirking.

"Thirty seconds without breathing…you're going for the world record!" she said playfully to a very embarrassed little girl.

Willow's eyes were as big as saucers she was frozen not even blinking when she asked

"Was…was she…was she babbling!"


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

"Was she babbling?" Willow repeated more to herself than to anyone in particular.

"Yes, I was" came a little voice near her "I do that sometimes. My mama says I get that from my other mommy"

"Your…other mommy?" questioned the redhead

"Hum-hum… everybody has a mommy and a daddy, but I don't. I have TWO mommies" finished the little girl showing two fingers indicating the number

"And…and do you know your…your other mommy?" willow was getting dizzy

"No." stated the girl "my mama says that they loved each other very much, but they had a big fight and broke up before I was born, and mama went to live with grandpa Giles in England. My other mommy lives in America. She's a witch too!" Ariel then turned to Tara "mama, where's America?"

"Where in America sweetie?" answered Tara trying not to show her anxiety

"But you said we were going to Sunnydale?"

"Sunnydale IS in America honey" Tara answered kneeling in front of her girl.

"Does it mean I get to meet my mommy?" she asked hopefully

"Yes baby girl, you are definitely meeting your mommy." Tara looked up directly into her ex girlfriend's eyes.

"YAY…do you think she'll like me mama?" her eyes lit up at her mama's answer.

"Yes she will. I'm sure she will love you baby." the girl gave her a big smile oblivious to the tension around her "Now, how about you go play with Dawn upstairs in her room, huh?" Tara knew the moment of the confrontation had come, she knew she had some explaining to do, but there was no need for this to be done in front of the child.

"Come on squirt, let's play some video games." Dawn grabbed Ariel's hand and they ran upstairs

"Ahem…Buffy why don't we go check the books we brought?" Giles said

"Yeah, sure let's go." Buffy said standing up.

"Ah, we'll help" said Xander practically jumping up "you all know how much we love books…come on Anya."

"Fine… anything to get out of this uncomfortable situation."

The group retreated to the kitchen leaving two witches and a very restless slayer behind

"Tara." "Faith" the said simultaneously

"Faith" Tara went again sweetly "I need to talk to Willow, alone, please…just for a second"

"Tara, I…" faith wasn't enjoying the idea she was getting very agitated.

Sensing her girlfriend's uneasiness Tara took her hand in hers trying to sooth the slayer. She looked deeply into the brunette's eyes and asked gently

"Trust me."

Faith bowed her head and released a big sigh

"Ok, I'll be right outside…call me if you need anything." She replied. She then leaned and whispered softly in Tara's ear

"I love you… don't forget that." The blonde witch nodded giving her girlfriend a reassuring squeeze in the hand.

Faith gave Tara a sweet kiss on the cheek, took one last look at Willow and went outside leaving the former lovers alone.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys…thanks for the reviews!

This one is longer…

Enjoy,

WA24

Part 7

Both women stood still for a while. Tara was looking down trying to come up with a good way to start her explanation. Willow was looking at the space; her mind was busy trying to process all the information that had been thrown at her over the past hour.

"We have a daughter?" the redhead finally broke the silence

"Yes" Tara answered almost inaudible

Willow started pacing, shaking her head and running her hands through her hair frantically

"How…how could you?" she kept saying it like a mantra "how could you Tara?"

"Willow wait, let me…"

"NO" willow cut her short "don't even try to justify it. There's nothing you could say to make it better." She was furious, her voice was loud, and her blood was boiling "what were you thinking? I had the right to know…" she said poking to her own chest.

"I know…it's just"

"What? Just what?" Willow was pissed and wouldn't let Tara get away that easily "I'm not worth it? I'm not good enough to be part of the child's life? How dare you? How dare you do that to me? What am I? A bad influence?" she shouted opening her arms in a dramatic motion.

"AT THAT TIME YOU WERE!" Tara finally snapped.

Willow went rigid at that; her back stiffed and she felt like she couldn't move or even speak. The tension was so big that Tara had to take several breaths in order to calm down.

"Willow, listen" she pled "I know I made a mistake, ok? I should've stayed and cope, I shouldn't have taken Ariel away from you, but don't you think it was an easy decision, because it wasn't, not even for a second it wasn't. Not a single day went by without me regretting my decision of cutting you out of her life. To tell the truth, leaving Sunnydale was the second most difficult thing I had to do in my life."

"Second?" Willow asked finally regaining her speech "What was the first then?"

"Leaving you…" Tara stated with a sigh

The declaration made the redhead visibly relax. So the blond went on

"Look, there's no point in us dwelling on the past. The fact is that I'm here now, WE are here now, the secret is out and we have a little girl to think about. So I suggest that instead of continue yelling at each other, we sit and talk like two grown ups. Hear me out first, and then you can hate me later, ok?"

"Ok" Willow nodded in agreement and took a sit on the couch nearby "and Tara, just for the records, I could never hate you."

Meanwhile in the kitchen

"Man, what a ride!" Xander started taking a sip at his beer "I can't believe Tara kept all of this from willow…I mean, this is huge…having a kid and not telling the…the…well, technically, 'the father' is a big deal." Buffy was furrowingher brows in deep concentration

"I'll say" she then slapped Giles' arm "I can't believe you didn't say anything all these years" rubbing the sore spot the watcher tried to defend himself

"I beg your pardon?" he tried to sound offended "It wasn't my place to tell, Buffy. It was Tara's decision; I just respected her wishes." Buffy snorted; ignoring her he continued

"Let's just hope they work things out…for Ariel's sake."

"Well, I don't hear any yelling anymore" she said referring to her slayer hearing

"I'll take that as a good sign" said Xander cheerfully raising his bottle

"Maybe they killed each other" Anya comment nonchalantly

Three pair of eyes rolled at the comment.

Back in the living room

Willow was sitting on the couch while Tara sat on the arm of an armchair facing the redhead. Taking a deep breath she prayed for the Goddess to guide her

"Let me start from the beginning" she began telling willow the whole story "after I left here that day, the day I moved out, I checked into a cheap motel downtown. The place was awful, but I didn't have much choice, money or even strength to find a better place so I stayed. I will always remember that night as THE worst night of my life." She rolled her head and shoulders to try to relax her muscles "I remember crying my eyes out. I cried so much that it made me sick; I spent half of the night crying in bed and the other half, crying over the toilet seat. It was horrible…" her gaze was lost in space as if she were watching the scene she lived so many years ago. "Anyway, the other day I went on an apartment hunt at the campus and my stomach wouldn't settle. The mere thought of food would make me throw up again. As the days went by, the nauseous feeling didn't go away, on the contrary, things got worse 'cause along with the nausea came a dizziness; every morning was like a nightmare; I tried everything tea, home made medicine but nothing helped, so I decided to go to a doctor. That day I slept here with Dawn, remember?" the redhead nodded encouraging her to continue "well, that was the day I found out. I left here and went straight to the doctors' office, I was feeling lightheaded, but I thought it was because I hadn't eaten anything, but when I got near the reception desk, I fainted. When I woke up I was lying on a bed inside the exam room. The doctor asked me a couple of questions and told me that by the symptoms he believed I was pregnant. Well, I told him I was gay and that the last time I had been with a man was…never" she blushed and Willow gave her a sweet smile. "Anyway, he asked for some exams and I left, but deep inside I knew he was right, I mean the possibility had crossed my mind already I just didn't want to believe it. I went to a drugstore and bought a pregnancy test, obviously, the stick turned blue. I can't tell you how I felt exactly." She stood up and started pacing "so many things came to my mind, so many feelings, but anger was the strongest one. I got so mad at you…" Willow opened her eyes wide and pointed to herself "yeah, you…the only possible explanation I could find for it was magic. The first thing I thought was 'this is probably some back fired spell from Willow.'" The redhead's eyes sadden and she bowed her head "I got so pissed at the possibility of the baby be a result of dark magic, I didn't know what to do. I remember wandering around the city for two hours, I was trying to make sense of all that. When I finally cooled down, I went to the magic box; I needed to do some research."

"What did you find?" Willow asked curiously, she couldn't bare the thought of being responsible for something bad that could hurt Ariel or Tara.

"Relief…" the blond sighed "first, I couldn't find anything on dark magic, any spell to get someone pregnant; so I start researching other books, which wasn't easy, once there isn't a book on 'how to knock your girlfriend up magically'" they smiled at each other for a second then Tara continued "I was about to give up when something called my attention. It was a book…about crystals"

"Crystals?" willow was confused

"Yeah…do you remember that fair we went together?" Willow looked at her blankly "the international fair of magic supplies?"

"ohhh...yes…yes!" willow nodded enthusiastically

"Remember that we bought two crystals from that Brazilian guy?"

"Yeah, how did he call them?"

"Quartzo Rosa" they said together "the stone of love!" they smiled

"Well, it turns out that those crystals were more than just love stones" Tara said "they were in fact fertility stones"

"Fertility stones?"

"Yes…Celtic Fertility Stones to be more specific. According to the book, these stones were enchanted by the 'Holy Women of The Lake', a group of women who lived in the islands near to what is England today. As I understood those women were pagans and used to worship the Goddess and they believed that women were stronger than men and they were perfectly capable of living without them."

"The Holy Women of the Lake? You mean like…like Avalon?" Willow was getting excited

"Yes…exactly like Avalon" Tara smiled at Willow's excitement she could just see their daughter bouncing in front of her. "The book also said that the stones were on a resting state; they only needed something to…trigger them"

"And…do you have any idea what happened?"

"My best bet would be the day the sing-and-dance demon showed up. I did the math and it was something around that day, I mean we did make love that afternoon and all…and…and maybe, as I was singing during the…you know, some how the song worked as a chant which activate the crystals' powers giving you the possibility to…ahhh…knock me up!" she finished blushing

"How come I didn't end up pregnant as well?" Willow asked furrowing her brows

"I asked this same question myself"

"And…"

"And…I came up with two options: number one – I was the doing the singing, so…"

"Number two…"

"Maybe…well…you were under the influence of dark magic and the crystals are made of light, they might have recognized the darkness and blocked you some how."

"Make sense" the red witch nodded in agreement

"Yeah, I gave it some thought"

"But, why didn't you come to me after you found that out? I mean, I was innocent after all" willow asked seriously

"I wanted to. I even planed how I was going to tell you this without you passing out… I was still mad at you but I thought we could work things out. I was thrilled, Will, we were going to have a baby together, it was a dream coming true…but," Tara sat down and ran her fingers through her hair

"But what?" willow cold see Tara's shoulders slumping down

"But I got a call from Dawn the next day, she told me how she hated you and that you nearly got her killed the night before. She told me how you were so high that you drove a car into a wall" she stood up again and resumed her pacing. The blond witch put her arms around herself as if trying not to fall apart "I freaked, Will. You're so wasted, so deep in your addiction that you're starting to put people's lives in danger; people that you loved. I couldn't stay…I …I had to protect the baby" tears were running down both women's face "I got so lost…I didn't have anywhere to go; I couldn't simply hit the road like I did when I ran from my family, I wasn't alone anymore. I had to think about the baby." She dried her face and sat on the armchair again resting her arms on her legs and crossing her hands in front of her "so I called Giles. He welcomed me and he's been like a father figure ever since." Tara sighed and continued "after the baby was born I knew you were doing better. I wanted to come back here and tell you, but every time, I lost my nerve and then, the more time passed the more difficult it got. I chickened out and…like I said…you can hate me for that, but know something, I never hid you from Ariel, she always knew she had another mommy, who didn't know about her by the way, but I always promised her that she would meet her mommy someday. She knows about you Will, and she loves you already."

"I can't believe we have a daughter." Willow whispered finally letting the information sink

"Yes we do"

"Ariel, Ariel…ARIEL, you named her after…"

"…Your favorite cartoon…which, by the way, is her favorite cartoon too. I'm telling you Willow, this kid is 50-50; on the outside she looks like me, but on the inside…there's no doubt she's your daughter…the way she gets excited about new discoveries, how she babbles when she's nervous or excited, the way she organizes her color pens" Tara gave Willow her famous lopsided grin making the redhead smile wider.

"I wanna be part of her life Tara. I want to make up for these…four-five years?"

"Five. She'll be five next month"

"Five. I'll…I'll take her to the movies and, and, and give her candies, and buy her toys and whatever she wants…I'll spoil her rot." She declared

"You gonna have to fight with Giles for the privilege. He says it is part of his grandpa duties to spoil the kid." Tara informed

"Well, I'll spoil her more" Willow stated firmly

"Oh Goddess!" Tara new she was in trouble.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay guys,

I know you all gonna hate it, but here's your update!

I know, I know…I'll fix it soon, I promise!

More feedback, but please be nice!

WA24

Part 8

The night was clear, perfect for star gazing; Faith was sitting on the porch swing with her head resting on the wall contemplating the sky. She had considered going out and slaying something in order to get her mind out of the conversation going on inside the house, but decided against it. She knew she wouldn't be able to let it go and wasn't going to concentrate at all. In fact she knew she would end up getting hurt which wasn't a big deal, but she was aware that she would have to explain it to Tara later. _"I'd rather face three demons by myself…unarmed"_ she closed her eyes _"she can be one tough witch"_ she thought smirking

"What's with the smirk?" Faith heard her girlfriend's voice, but kept her eyes shut

"Just thinking"

"So…" Tara said taking a seat beside the brunette "beautiful night, huh?"

"Yep" Faith answered monosyllabically; Tara nodded slowly and tried again

"Where's Giles?"

"Don't know" Faith shrugged and sat straight, bending forward she grabbed the bench with both hands "inside I guess" she finished staring at her feet

"Why are you here all by yourself?"

"Feels like it" she answered shrugging again

"Ooookay" Tara replied reclining back on the swing and closing her eyes

"So, how was the chat?" Faith asked tentatively

"Hard, tiring, stressful, draining…pick one" Tara answered rubbing her temples "at least we worked things out…everything is fine now…I guess"

"hum-hum" Faith started biting the inside of her cheek showing that she was worried "does it mean that…that the kiddo just…got her big happy family?" Tara sat straight and turned to look at Faith seriously

"She HAS one happy family, Faith. She has me, you and Giles; she's surrounded by all the love and care I child needs…Willow is gonna be just… an addition to that." Faith nodded but did not take her eyes off the floor

"So, you're not dumping me?" she asked in a small voice

"No" Tara answered firmly "are you dumping me?" she asked raising one eyebrow as a challenge. Faith smiled, but didn't move. She released a big sigh

"I'm sorry, Tare…I was sacred, hell I still am" she lifted her head and finally looked into Tara's eyes "I love you and I know how you feel about Red, and that makes me…uncertain" she shook her head as if not believing that she had just admitted her insecurities. She stood up and ran a hand through her dark hair "the things you do to me…the things you make me feel" she leaned against the porch railing, crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Tara "no one ever could"

"Not even Buffy?" Tara asked sneering a bit

"What?"

"Come on…I know you had a crush on her" Tara continued her teasing "how was it to see her again, huh? Any butterflies?" she raised her brows mockingly

"You're something else, you know?" Faith said shaking her head aware that the blond was just teasing "and answering your question, no! No butterflies and Buffy didn't make me feel that way, that's for you and you only; and yes, I did have a big crush on her but I guess I wasn't prepared to love back then." She unfolded her arms and moved closer to Tara "you taught me that. You're the only one to know me, really" she then kneeled in front of the blond putting her hands on her girlfriend's knees "I know I'm no match for Red in your heart, but you know I never run from a fight…please, give me a chance to prove I'm worth it, to prove I can be good for you…please baby, don't leave me!" Tara leaned forward and took the slayer's face in both her hands making eye contact

"I won't leave you, Faith. I'm not going back to Willow, at least I don't plan to…but we have a child together, and I can't deny her right to be a part of the girl's life…not anymore. It wouldn't be fair either to Willow or Ariel. But that's it!" she stated firmly "Willow isn't part of my life anymore, she's my past. You're my present, and you make me happy." Sighing, she let go of Faith's face and stood up "I won't lie to you, I still have feelings for her…but she li…lied to me and, and she betrayed me when she chose magic over me." She sighed at the painful memories "I can't simply erase it and go running back to her arms…I've built a life during this time we've been apart, and she's not part of it; at least not directly; we share a daughter, tough and I'll need to have some contact with her" walking back to the swing, she took Faith's hands in hers "but I promise you something, when we finish what we came to do here, we will leave together…as a family, you, me and Ariel."

"What about Red? I don't think she'll let you take the girl away from her again." She asked concerned

"We'll think about that when the time comes, but till then we live in peace…deal?"

"Deal" Faith agreed smiling at the blond. Tara stood up and rolled her head over from side to side

"I'm exhausted" Tara released a big sigh "and all sore" she said kneading her own shoulders

"you're all tensed" the brunette said coming from behind and massaging her girl's neck and shoulders "I'll tell you what, after the toddler falls asleep I'll give you a nice and relaxing back rub, what you say?" she asked flirtatiously

"Hum…" Tara moaned at Faith's ministrations "I'd say it would make me very…very happy"

"Oh, yeah?" the slayer got closer and started nibbling the witch's earlobe "happy enough to…I don't know…pay me?" she was getting horny

"Hum…pay you?" Tara leaned against Faith's body pressing them together "how?" she cocked her head to side giving the slayer full access to her neck. She was aroused by now

"What about…kissing me now…" she started sucking Tara's pulse point "and we talk about the rest later?" she asked while her hands were roaming the witch's body

"Definitely" Tara said breathlessly and then, she felt herself been spun and pinned against the nearest wall trapped in a passionate kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the feedback!

Keep doing it…

Enjoy,

WA24

Part 9

Later that night the gang was all together in the living room having some pizza and beer and a couple of soft drinks. Willow was sitting on the floor playing some kind of computer games with Ariel; she was trying her best to get close to the little girl. Oblivious to them Tara had been watching the scene the entire time. She thought it was amazing to watch the two of them together. The same gestures, the same facial expressions…frowning, biting the tip of the tongue, wrinkling their noses…_"definitely mother and daughter"_ she thought. She was brought out of her trance by the sound of Anya's voice

"So, how long have you two been having sex?"

"Anya!" Xander tried

"What? You're all curious about it too"

"I thought you said you knew about them?" questioned Buffy

"I did. The brat let it slip one day at the magic box" she said point to Dawn "I just don't know details…I want details" she finished smiling cynically

"Well, we've been together for two and a half years now…" Faith started totally enjoying the look on the others' faces "I met Tara when I moved to England…I mean I have met her here, but as I was in Buffy's body, I don't think it really counts…"

"Not this kind of details" Anya said waving her hands "I want the juicy ones…like, when was the first time you had sex? How many orgasms you give her a night? Or…"

"SHUT UP! Please, shut up!" Xander shouted clasping his hand over her mouth

"Alright…changing the subject…how come the little on doesn't talk like G-man over here?" he asked to a mortified Tara "she's British, isn't she?"

"I WON!" they saw a little girl jump at her feet and start a little happy dance "I'm 5 by 5" she sang around the room

"There's your answer" she told Xander gesturing at her daughter "too much Faith!"

"Hey, you say it like it's a bad thing" the slayer defended herself "I mean, look at the kid…she's 5 by 5!" she finished smirking

"5 what by 5…you know I never got it" Tara lifted her hands in exasperation "does it even mean anything?"

"That is indeed a remarkable question" Giles removed his glasses to clean them "during all of these years I could never make any sense of this…expression" he finished tugging the glasses back on

"Come on, T. Seriously, you'd rather have your daughter talking like that?" she asked pointing at the older man with her thumb

"I beg your pardon!" he was indignant

"Hey…what do we have here? Is this a party and I wasn't invited?"

"Kennedy" Willow said standing up and walking towards her "where have you been? I was starting to get worried"

"Around…here and there" she informed shrugging

"Have you been drinking?" Willow asked sensing the smell coming from the brunette

"A little…why?"

"You never did it before" the redhead commented in a soft voice

"Chill, Will" snapped Kennedy getting annoyed "it's no big!" she walked away from Willow and took a look at the people in the room

"So, we have guest, huh? How are you Mr. Watcher?" she asked shaking Giles's hand

"Huh…hello Kennedy. It's nice to see you again…oh, allow me introduce you…this is Faith" he said pointing at the rogue slayer "I'm sure you've heard of her"

"Yeah, sure…I hear you're a bad ass slayer" she said stuffing her hands in her back pockets

"Yeah, I get a reputation…what's up?" Faith eyed her suspiciously

"I'm cool"

"Hi, I'm Ariel" said the little girl in front of her

"Hey there cutie…" she said looking down at the child "how are you?"

"I'm 5 by 5" she answered with a big grin getting a big laugh from Faith

"Oh God!" Tara shook her head

"And…you must be the famous Tara Maclay"

"Famous?" Tara asked with one raised eyebrow

"yes…I've heard so much about you that I even considered asking for your autograph" ignoring the disapproving look on Willow's face she continued "no, serious, it was always Tara this, and Tara that…you have a fan club here, do you know that?" fishing for the blonde's reaction

"A FAN CLUB! Mama, are you a star?" the girl asked bemused

"MAMA?" Kennedy repeated stunned "WOW…I mean… you have a daughter? That's a shock!" she said getting closer to Tara making Faith and Buffy jump into alert mode "Did you know about that?" she asked turning to the Redhead

"Kennedy!" Willow said barely above a whisper

"I bet you didn't…now tell me Will, how is it to know that your angelic girlfriend isn't so angelic after all?" she asked sneering at the witch

"Kennedy, that's enough!" Buffy said firmly

"Come on, Buffy…I'm just asking an honest question"

"Kennedy, I think you've had too much to drink" said Xander trying to reason the brunette

"What's wrong with you guys, huh? I'm just stating the obvious…"she declared opening her arms "the little saint you all painted those years isn't really a saint…"

"Kennedy, you don't know what you're talking about, please go upstairs…you're making everyone uncomfortable" Willow pleaded

"Uncomfortable? What? Are you all blind?" Kennedy was angry at their blindness; couldn't they see what was in front of their eyes? "She has a kid for Christ's sake…how do you think she conceived the child, huh? She screwed somebody Willow…"the redhead flinched at the comment "she had sex…with a man…how did you like it, huh?" she asked turning to a very disconcerted Tara "was it good? Was it better than fucking her?" she asked pointing to a flustered redhead

"You'd better back off, lady" Faith jumped in front of Kennedy narrowing her eyes "or I'll show you first hand how I got my bad ass reputation" she hissed through clenched teeth

"Fine, I'll go upstairs" Kennedy finally gave in and retreated to her room

"Tara, I'm so sorry" Willow was dying of embarrassment "I'm..."

"What's her problem?" Faith practically shouted pissed

"She's Willow's girlfriend" Dawn informed simply. Faith snorted at the information

"And you thought I was bad for Tara?"

"Faith…" Tara cautioned while picking up Ariel who had been grasping Tara's leg during the whole episode

"Fine…"Faith raised both arms "none of my business!"

"It's getting late…" Tara stated sighing "we better get going"

"Go? Wait, go where?" asked an agitated Willow

"Ah, yes…we have hotel reservations" explained Giles

"Hotel? Na-uh, hotel Summers is the best in town" Buffy declare solemnly

"Buffy, we don't wanna be a bother…"

"Yeah, B. No sweat!" said Faith backing Tara up "besides, how are you going to accommodate all of us?"

"Well, we have a perfect and very comfortable bed in the basement" started the blonde slayer "if Giles doesn't mind…" they looked at him who just shrugged and nodded " I can crush with Dawn and give you guys the master suite…the bed is big enough for the three of you." She finished hopefully

"The master suite? Isn't it…"

"Buffy and I switched rooms years ago…" Willow explained hurriedly knowing what Tara was thinking "an…and she's right. It's a big room…you three would be fine in there" she continued softly "please!" Tara could never resist Willow's puppy dog's eyes. She looked at Faith for confirmation and received a positive nod

"Ok" she sighed

"Great!" Buffy sounded pleased

"Ok, then…since everything is settled Anya and I are better get going" said Xander putting his coat on "we'll see you guys tomorrow"

"Yes, let's go have sex…and multiple orgasms" everybody just chuckled and shook their heads

"Bye, drive safely"

"Ok, it's time for bed for you too, missy" Faith declared taking Ariel away from Tara's arms " go give grandpa a goodnight kiss and let's go change" the little blonde flew into the older man's arms and gave him a wet kiss

"Bye grandpa…good night"

"Good night Angel…have sweet and very pleasant dreams." He said putting her down. The little girl walked past the others and hugged Willow, who recovered quickly from the surprise, and returned the gesture by hugging her daughter back

"Good night Willow, thanks for playing with me" she kissed the witch's cheek and whispered softly "I know you let me win" she stepped back and winked at the redhead "you're cool, I like you!"

"I like you too sweetie" she swallowed the lump on her throat "you're the smartest and sweetest little girl…and we can play anytime you want, ok?"

"You're glowing" said the girl grinning

"Excuse me?"

"You're glowing…your aura is shining" Willow's eyes bulged

"You can see my aura?" the little girl nodded enthusiastically. Willow looked speechless at Tara

"Ariel, what did I tell you about reading people's aura?" Tara used a motherly scolding tone

"To ask first…"the girl replied lowering her head

"Well, and did you?"

"No, but mama…it was so bright"

"come on, baby…let her off the hook" Faith jumped in defending the girl "here lamb…hop in and let's go find your PJs and brusher in these bags" she said carrying the girl on her back and lifting two of their bags "come on teen…lead the way" she told dawn.

"Faith, you do realize that I'm 20, don't you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry O adult one!" Faith joked winking at a giggling Ariel

"Ass!" Dawn shot passing them and carrying the rest of their luggage upstairs

"Language…" Faith shot back climbing up the stairs.

"I…I better go upstairs and… help" Tara said "you have no idea how messy those two can get" referring to the commotion coming from upstairs "good night"

"Night" "Good night" "night, Tara"

"What about you, Buffy?" Giles asked "no patrol tonight?"

"Nah…I think I'll just go to bed and relax" she said "I wanna get up early tomorrow…I'm all curious about this mystery you are all mysterious about" she raised her brows in a funny way

"Mystery? What mystery? What's going on?" asked Willow all alarmed

"Don't worry Willow…there's no mystery I assure you" said Giles lifting his bag and starting to retreat "we can talk about that in the morning"

"See, mysterious!" Buffy teased

"Good night Buffy" he said disappearing into the basement direction

"You sure everything is all right?" Willow asked a little concerned

"Yeah…it's probably nothing serious" said Buffy collecting the empty bottles of bear and soda cans spread around the living room. Willow turned and picked the pizza boxes and dirty dishes

"Let's put these in the kitchen before going to bed"

"You don't have to Will…we can do it tomorrow" said the slayer following the redhead into the kitchen

"No…it's ok" she said "anything to postpone entering that room" the blond furrowed her brows

"You think she's still up…I mean, she was pretty wasted" Buffy said looking at the bedrooms direction "I bet she's sleeping already"

"I'm pretty sure she's awake…I never saw her like this, Buffy"

"Give her a break, Will…she's jealous" Buffy said touching her best friend's arm "how are you holding up?"

"Still processing" she said and sat on a stool nearby "too much information…a lot to digest"

"I know" the slayer said trying to support her friend. She heard a noise and turned to see Tara. The blond witch was barefoot, her hair was loose and she was wearing a salmon silk nightgown

"Oh, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to interrupt" she apologized

"Nonsense" Buffy waved her off "I was just saying good night"

"Night, Buff"

"Night guys" she left leaving the witches alone

"Just came for a glass of water" she smile and reached to the cupboard "two actually" Willow smiled and nodded

"She's sleeping already?" she asked timidly

"Who? Ariel?" Tara asked from the fridge receiving a positive nod from the redhead "almost…Faith is tucking her in" Willow nodded feeling a little pang of jealousy, she wishes she were the one putting the girl to bed, but decided to push it down for now

"So, she can read auras?"

"Yeah" Tara answered closing the refrigerator and walking in Willow's direction

"What else can she do?" Tara put the two glasses on the table and took a seat on the other stool

"Well, she dreams" at the confused look on Willow's face she explained "I mean she has dreams that… come true sometimes"

"Premonitory dreams?" Willow asked amazed and very proud of her little girl

"Yeah, kinda…" Tara bit the inside of her cheek and continued "I remember one night last year, she woke up screaming and crying …" she gave a small chuckle "scared the life out of me…anyway, I ran to her room and hold her tight trying to calm her…she was sobbing, when she finally calmed down, I asked what was wrong…she told me that the big, ugly monster had hurt Faith…" Willow was fidgeting on her seat

"What happen?" she asked genuinely curious

"Faith had gone patrolling and hasn't come back yet…so I tried to sooth the girl, but…" she took a deep breath trying to gain strength

"But?"

"But the phone rang…it was Giles telling me that Faith had been badly hurt during a fight…she was pretty damaged, luckily she has slayer healing"

"Wow" Willow was impressed "and Ariel dreamed that?"

"Uh huh" Tara nodded "oh, and levitation…" she said suddenly

"Come again?"

"Levitation…she's good at that too"

"Really?" Willow asked smiling

"Yes…one day, I walked into her room and all her toys were flying up in the air" Willow's eyes were opened wide "yeah, the punch line is…she was ten months old" Tara finished with a huge grin on her face

"I'm telling you will…she's pretty unique." She said rising from her seat. She took the two glasses from the table and went to door. She turned her head and looked at her ex girlfriend

"Good night, Will"

"Good night, Tara" Willow said to an empty kitchen. Sighing, she stood up turned off the lights and went upstairs to room she shares with Kennedy.


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

The feeling of the hot water on her muscles was so soothing; Willow could feel her body finally relaxing under the shower. Last night had been a roller coaster of emotion she felt as if she had been run over by truck, a truck loaded with news. So much to process _"Tara is back, so beautiful…Oh God, last night dressed in that nightgown…wow…she's so pretty, her hair grew longer and she's more mature…her skin looks softer and her eyes…bluer."_ Willow rinsed her hair while rambling in her thoughts _"we have a daughter…together…I mean, of course together…it's WE as in 'she and me'…us…OUR daughter…Ariel, she looks so much like Tara…blond her, blue eyes and smart…oh, but she got that from me, well not from me, from her other mommy, cause she doesn't know I'm her other mommy, but I am…YAY!_ Willow knew she was babbling but she couldn't avoid it, her mind was busier than never _"I have to talk to Tara, there's so much I need to know…what's her favorite color…food…ice cream flavor? What's her favorite book...oh; does she know how to read? What's her favorite movie…wait, I know that one…hehehe"_ Willow turned off the water with a big grin on her face, but it disappeared instantly _"so much I lost, her first smile, her first word, her first step, her first day at school…"_ she sighed and voiced aloud

"I'll make up for everything I lost" she got out of the shower and put on her robe and walked out of the bathroom. Still drying her hair, she opened the door to her room. Stepping inside, she saw Kennedy sitting on the bed holding her head and grimacing

"Ouch, my head is the size of Venus"

"Expected"

"What time is it?"

"7:30" Kennedy rubbed her temples and winced in pain.

"There's some aspirin and a glass of water in your nightstand" Willow took a pity on her "I thought you might need it"

"Thanks" Kennedy looked at her sheepishly and took the medicine. "So, you're still talking to me?"

"Barely" the redhead answered dryly "do you remember what you did last night?"

"Pretty much…" the brunette sighed "I made an ass out of myself, didn't I?"

"oh yes…" Willow took a sit on an armchair facing the bed " you offended Tara, embarrassed me, pissed Faith, scared Ariel and made everybody else uncomfortable." Kennedy sighed and ran her hands through her hair

"Look, Will…I'm sorry! I know you're mad but…"

"But what?" Willow cut her short "you thing you can justify your behavior?"

"To be honest yeah" Kennedy shot back "we've been together for what, a year now? and for a whole year we've never been truly alone" she said getting up "there was always this shadow, this phantom between us and one day, out of the blue, you tell me she's gonna be back in town…"she started pacing "I freaked , okay? I went for a walk and drank a few shots"

"A few? Kennedy you were drank!" Willow stated angrily

"I know…but, gee Willow, why are you so mad at me" the brunette asked opening her arms "she's the one who walked out on you, disappeared for five years and suddenly comes back with a kid Will…"she was gesticulating like crazy " Jesus Willow! You still treat her as if she were some kind of Goddess"

"You don't know what you're talking about" the witch replied shaking her head

"Freaking Jesus Willow, wake up and smell the diapers…" Kennedy was getting exasperated "she cheated on you, she got a kid damn it…how do you think she made the baby, huh?" she asked trying to prove her point "how old do you think this child is? You two were probably still together when she conceived."

"You're right about that" Willow commented nodding slowly "we were definitely together when Tara got pregnant"

"What…and you're ok about that?" Kennedy asked not understand why Willow was so calm

"Yes, Kennedy" the redhead lifted her eyes and met her girlfriend's questioning ones "Ariel is my child too"

"Huh?"

"Tara ad I made the baby together"

"What…like insemination or something?" the brunette asked curiously. Willow just shook her head "then how?"

"Magic"

"Magic!" she asked skeptically

"Yes, Kenny, magic!" Willow sighed and stood up "you may not like it, you may not believe it or even understand it, but it's true…this child is my daughter"

"She told you that?" Kennedy crossed her arms over her chest

"She didn't have to…I kinda figured it out"

"Okay, let me see if I get this straight: she got pregnant, took off and never told you about the baby…" Kennedy said using her fingers to count the facts "and you ok with that?"

"We talked…" Willow declared "she knows she made a mistake, but she gave me her reasons and I accepted them…end of discussion." The redhead stated firmly

"Willow…"

"Kennedy, look…Tara's back and we have a daughter together; like it or not she'll be part of my life again" she said and ran a hand through the red locks "but, I can't have you throwing a fit every time she's around…you'll have to learn to deal with the situation"

"what makes you so sure she isn't using the girl to get you guys back together?" she asked defiantly

"because she's dating Faith…"Willow informed feeling a little twinge in her heart "to what I understand they've been together for two and a half years and…they look pretty happy" the redhead kept a straight face not willing to show her emotions in order not start another argument with her girlfriend

"Faith…"

"yeah, so as you can see, she's not trying to get back together with me…I'm not on her plans!" she concluded softly, more to herself "now, the question is, can you behave?" the witch asked seriously

"I guess" the brunette looked sheepishly "I guess I own her some apologies, huh?

"Big time…" Willow agreed nodding

Meanwhile downstairs in the kitchen…

"Okay, I told I smelled something gooood" Buffy said happily getting in the kitchen with Dawn in her tow.

"Mama is making pancakes" announced a very happy little girl

"Cool! Round or funny shapes?" Dawn asked excited

"Both" Tara, Ariel and Faith replied at the same time causing a fit of giggles

Buffy walked toward the stove where Tara was cooking and tried to steal a peace of fried bacon, but only got a spoon slap on her hand.

"Hey!" she shouted rubbing the injured part

"Breakfast is almost ready…" Tara said ignoring the hurt look on the slayer's face "but we are out of orange juice"

"Fine…" Buffy sighed dramatically "I'll go get some…be right back."

"Uh…I'll go with you" Faith said

"Alright" Buffy shrugged

Both slayers got their coats and walked out f the house. They walked a few minutes quietly until the brunette broke the silence

"So, B…what's up with this Kennedy girl?"

"What you mean?"

"What's her story?"

"Oh, she's a potential…"the blond declared simply

"A Potential?" Faith repeated surprised

"yeah, you know, potential slayer…if something happens to me or you she can be activated" Buffy explained gesturing

"I know what a potential is…"Faith said rolling her eyes "we have some girls been trained back home…I'm just having a hard time believing that crazy chick might become a slayer"

"She's not that bad" Buffy stated shrugging receiving a raised eyebrow as an answer "ok, she made a terrible first impression, but still…" the rogue slayer stuffed her hands in her jacket's pockets

"How long has she been here?"

"About two years…Giles brought her here so I could train her" Faith nodded in understanding

"And she's always with the attitude?"

"Nah, she can be difficult sometimes, but she's not a bad person…give her a break, ok?" she turned to the brunette "she's jealous." Faith bit the inside of her cheek

"How long has she and Red been a couple?"

"a year I guess…"Buffy answered shrugging "I remember she came hard to Willow, who dodged her for a while, but Kennedy is persistent…"Buffy snorted "she comes from a rich family, and it seems that she always gets what she wants."

"So, she's a spoiled brat…" Faith concluded

"Pretty much…but she likes Willow…I don't know if it's love or just infatuation, the fact is she felt threaten by Tara's return." She stopped and turned to look at the brunette "and I'm sure you must have felt as well" Faith ducked her head and shrugged

"I guess"

"Look, I'm sure they'll talk and Willow is going to make her come to her senses…I bet she'll even make her apologize to Tara."

"Ok, but I'll keep an eye on her anyway…I didn't get good vibes from her" they resumed walking

"Fine…but are you sure you are not just been overprotective?" Buffy asked sneering a bit; Faith narrowed her eyes making the blond release a throaty laugh

"Is it really love?" Buffy asked seriously

"Excuse me?"

"You and Tara…is it really love?"

"I don't know… I mean, I know how I feel, and it's definitely love, but…"

"You're not sure about her feelings" Buffy concluded

"It's not that…"she sighed "I know she likes me, Tara is too honest to fake, specially her feelings, but I know Red is still strong in the picture." She bowed "she owns a big part of Tara's heart so…" Buffy reached and touched the brunette's arm

"I know Tara would never do anything to hurt you, at least not on purpose…" Faith sighed and gave the blond a weak smile

"I know…" she shook her head as if to clear the seriousness "so, what about you, B?"

"What about me?" Buffy asked innocently

"Is anyone making your juices flow lately, huh?" they stopped at the grocery store entrance. Faith reached for the door and turned to look at a blushing slayer

"There is a guy, isn't there? Come, on B…" she leaned to speak in the bond's ear "red looks good on you" she whispered softly, winked teasingly and got inside the store

"Definitely not a guy…" Buffy said to no one.


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11

The gang was together in the magic box. Everybody was there except Willow and Kennedy.

"So, what's the big mystery G-man?" Xander asked

"Yeah Giles I'm dying here to know…" Buffy had bugged her former watcher all morning, but he didn't give her any clue about anything.

"Ah, yes…I think we should wait for Willow…I assure its most of her interest what I have to say." He took off his glasses and started cleaning them nervously.

"Speaking of her, where is she by the way?"

"She's with Kennedy…it seems she's having a mighty hangover" informed Dawn who was helping Ariel with her drawing.

"Huh…I bet they're having sex" Anya commented nonchalantly

"Anya!" Buffy scolded looking at Tara who lowered her eyes

"What? It's obvious…" she looked at everybody's face and saw them looking back at her waiting for the explanation. She sighed and continued

"They probably had this big fight because Kennedy was rude to sweet cheeks over here, and them she probably said how sorry she was, promised Willow to be good and maybe even to apologize to Tara. Willow forgave her and now they might be having some make up sex with thousand of orgasms" she finished grinning as if she had reached the most obvious conclusion

"Amazing" Xander was astonished

"Indeed"

"Anya, they're not having sex alright…" Buffy said trying to convince the former demon "Willow came downstairs earlier and had breakfast with us…she said Kennedy had a migraine and that's probably the reason they're late, ok?"

"Fine, if that's what you want to believe" she said shrugging "I stuck to the multiple orgasms theory"

"Anya, quit talking about orgasms…we have a kid here" the slayer censured

"Oh, she's big enough to know…how do you think she was made in the first place"

"ANYA!" Buffy and Xander shouted together while Dawn covered the girl's ears with both hands. Tara shook her head while Faith laughed. Giles was about to reprimand the ex vengeance demon when the bell jingled and the front door opened to a frantic redhead

"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to be so late, we were just…"

"Willow…" Xander practically shouted "it's so good to see you again…please don't say anything to encourage her" he whispered hugging his best friend

"Did I miss anything?" asked a confused redhead

"Nothing worth repeating" the blond slayer declared and noticed a very shy brunette coming from behind the redhead witch

"Kennedy, hi…how's the head?" she asked sympathetically

"Fine…" she stepped further in the room "look guys, I know I screwed up last night and I just wanna say I'm sorry" she looked directly to Tara "I didn't mean to offend anyone and I hope you can forgive me"

"It's okay…no harm done" Tara smiled sweetly

"Thanks"

"Ahem…" Giles cleared his throat. "Now that Willow is here I think we should start." Everybody nodded and gave him their full attention

"Very well…huh, Faith?" she handed him a folder with some pictures inside "about 18 months ago, this girl was kidnapped in the south of Spain" he put a colored photograph of a young girl on the table "her name is Helena and she was just an average college student who was taken under…rather mysterious conditions…the police couldn't find any clues on her whereabouts"

"And what does it have to do with us?" Buffy asked curiously

"Apparently nothing…but hear me out" he took another photograph from the folder "this is Rebecca, she was kidnapped in Romania a month after Helena disappearance" he kept pulling photos out of the folder and throwing them on the table. All the photos were of young girls in the 20's "all these girls disappeared under the same mysterious conditions. They are from different countries, from different ethnicity, with different habits but with one thing in common, they are all witches…powerful witches." Willow brows furrowed in sign of deep concentration, she was listening attentively to the older man's speech

"well, I don't need to say that this fact raised immediate interest of the witch council; that, and the fact that in every crime scene this symbol was found" he showed a picture a Pentacle "The Pentacle is probably along with the pentagram the symbol of Witchcraft most recognized by the general public. But this one is a little different because it's circled by the symbol of planet Venus which is also the representation of the female gender." He said taking his glasses off

"What does it mean?" asked a confused slayer

"It means that whoever is taking the girls is de…definitely after a witch" replied Tara

"But not just any witch" completed the watcher "they're after 'The' witch, a very specific one"

"Why do you think so?" questioned Willow

"Because of the prophecy…" he answered

"Prophecy? What prophecy? …nobody said anything about prophecy" Buffy said literally jumping out of her seat "no, no, no, no…prophecies are always bad sign" she said pacing frantically "I hate prophecies!"

"Buffy calm down" Willow tried "what is this prophecy about?"

"It's about a powerful witch who will become evil and… bring darkness to the world" replied Tara. Willow nodded letting the information sink

"And what makes you so sure there's some kind of connection?" she questioned

"About five months ago there was a break into at the council's head quarters. Someone cracked the safe and tried to steal the prophecy…the alarm went off and alerted the security. It took about thirty men and Faith to stop them." He put his glasses back on "they didn't succeed on taking it, but…" he looked at the brunette slayer

"But they kicked my ass…badly" she informed "I barely made it to the hospital…luckily slayers heal fast" she winked at Buffy

"Still… doesn't prove there's a connection" Buffy observed

"They found the same symbol at the scene" Tara answered

"Plus" continued Giles "the security system took some pictures of the intruders" he pulled the remaining pictures in the folder.

"Holly crap!" exclaimed Xander "those are the same girls from the pictures…they kicked your ass?" he asked amazed

"Yep, pretty much"

"How did they get so strong?" Kennedy asked from the back

"Somebody must have empowered them… somehow" explained Tara

"So, we a have a crazy psycho out there who is kidnapping powerful witches, hulking them out, forming an army only to search for a specific witch who is going to bring darkness into the world, all because a prophecy?" Anya summarized

"Shortly…yes" said Giles nodding at the former demon's sum up

"And we have no idea who it is?" she continued receiving only headshakes "what about the mighty witch?" Giles, Tara and Faith looked at each other conspiratorially

"What?" asked Buffy "do you know who she is?"

"Not for sure" he informed "but…when you interpret the prophecy, there are some coincidences."

"What kind of coincidences?" Xander asked

"I think it's better if you see for yourselves" he said taking a paper from the folder and handing to Xander who read aloud

"**_The powerful champion of light won't be enough. A powerful witch will turn evil sinking the world into darkness and pain. Evil will take over until a time that a child not begotten by man starts shining. Only in the face of death will the witch of the light find salvation, and harmony be set in motion. Until then, a storm of conflict and struggle will fall upon the path of those who seek peace."_**


	12. Chapter 12

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Part 12

"Okay, I got the witch / bitch part, but I suck at this interpreting stuff" Buffy said waving her arms for emphasis

"Let me see it" Anya said snatching the paper from Xander "yep, that's what I thought…it's definitely talking about Willow…she'll destroy the world" she declared nonchalantly

"WHAT?" Willow shouted getting up from her seat "are out of your mind? I'll not do such a thing…NEVER, got it?" she said defensively "It doesn't have anything to with me"

"Oh no? let's see…" she paused for dramatic effect; clearing her throat she started "_**The powerful champion of light won't be enough**…_it's probably talking about the slayer, slayers in this case, we have two…anyway, that's why Faith got her ass kicked…" she kept reading silently " HAH! It talks about two witches here…the dark witch and the witch of light…can it be anymore obvious?" she gestured to Willow and Tara. "And, if you need anymore proof we have **_a child not begotten by man_** … okay, how many children do you know that had a sperm free conception, huh?" she raised her eyebrows mockingly "I rest my case" she concluded throwing the paper on the table.

"I hate to admit, but it's a good interpretation" said Xander

"BULLSHIT!" Willow shouted getting exasperated "come on people, you're not buying this crap, are you?" she asked looking at everybody's face

"Will, calm down!" Buffy tried to placate the upset redhead "what if she's right, huh? What if it's you the witch they've been looking for? It doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to…bitch out" she said shrugging and looking at the others for support "how many prophecies have we beaten before, huh? We can beat this one too…" she got closer to her friend and touched her arm "we just have to stick together"

"B…Buffy is right" Tara said coming forward "I must admit that we thought the same thing ourselves" she admitted a little embarrassed "that's why we came back… if our assumption are correct, the only thing that can stop this evil is… the child" she said taking a look at her daughter who seemed oblivious to her surrounds "and if it's really my child this prophecy is talking about, then we'll have serious problems, cause I won't let anyone touch her" she said putting on her resolved face "even if I have to die, I'll die protecting her"

"So will I" Faith declared; Tara nodded in acknowledgment

"What we must do know is research…we have to find out who's behind the kidnaps and what his or her interest in all this"

"Tara is absolutely right" Giles said putting his glasses on "we brought some books from England, and if we use them to make some cross reference with the ones we have here, we ought to find something"

"So, what are we waiting for…bring on the books" Xander said cheerfully. The gang went around picking up the books and sitting at table to start research. Everybody was already settled when Kennedy noted Willow walking to the door.

"Willow?" the redhead stopped and turned to her girlfriend "you're not coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute…I just need a moment to…think" she answered realizing she was on the spotlight.

"Very well" replied Giles; Kennedy nodded and took a seat to start reading; Willow looked up and noticed Tara's eyes were on her. They locked eyes for a second; she gave her a shy smile and a small nod and went outside.

About an hour later, Willow was sitting on the curb outside of the magic box. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Tara coming behind her

"Hey" the blond said softly

"Hi" the redhead sounded surprised

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"

"No, no you didn't" she replied hastily "I was just distracted that's all" she said starting to get up "I was just coming inside but…"

"Nah…don't bother" Tara said gesturing for Willow to remain sitting. She then sat as well beside the redhead "we are just chasing our own tails in there…there's nothing to compare to… we don't have anything to lead us. It's a dead end" she sighed and looked ahead, squinting her eyes because of the sun.

"You ok?" Tara asked softly turning to look at her ex girlfriend

"Yeah" Willow nodded "just contemplating the idea of becoming an evil bitch and destroy the world…sounds like fun!" she faked a smile

"That's not gonna happen"

"Come on Tara…you probably read this prophecy back and forth a gazillion times…you know it's me, don't you?" the blond simply nodded

"And you're not worried?"

"Of course I am" she answered honestly "but like you said, I read it a gazillion times and I know it's not talking just about you…it also talks about our daughter and I KNOW that both of you are really strong and together WE are stronger"

"How come you have so much confidence on me? I'm a screw up"

"Willow…"

"No serious…it's what I do best I screw things up" she said self depreciatingly "I screwed up with Oz…I screwed US up, I screwed up with magic and I will probably screw this up too." She finished with a sad voice

"Willow, stop degrading yourself" Tara commanded in a firm voice "you are the most powerful, intelligent, adorable, talented woman I've ever met." A huge smile broke the redhead's features

"You think I'm adorable?" she flirted

"You know I always did" Tara answered giving her ex girlfriend her unforgettable lopsided grin

"Tara, do you think we still have a chance?" Willow asked boldly

"Will…"

"I know…you have Faith" she sighed lowering her head

"And you have Kennedy" she reminded her

"I know…" the redhead lifted her eyes and looked direct into the blonde's bright blue ones "but, you were the one who always had my heart, you know?" Tara simply stared at her former lover and felt a sudden tightness closing her throat; she knew they were having a moment. Willow felt it too and decided to go for it

"Tara, I'd give anything for us to have another shot. All this time we were apart, you never left my mind…I couldn't move on…I didn't want to move on, cause I knew in my heart that one day we would meet again and that somehow we weren't over yet." She took the blonde's hand in hers "I know it's been five years, but I still think of you as the love of my life" Tara's heart began to pump furiously and she clenched her jaw tightly as if trying to hold back. She exhale trying to calm her heart

"Five years is a long time" she stated simply still keeping their gaze "things are not the way they used to be… everything changed" she broke the stare and stood up quickly; sighing she ran her fingers through her blond locks "we were not the same people we were, we don't know if our lives still fit together" she said putting her arms around herself

"I know" Willow sighed sadly "I just wanted you to know that you are the one, the only one" before Tara could say anything she saw their daughter coming out of the shop

"Mama, I'm bored" she said pouting

"Oh…come here sweetie!" Tara said picking the girl up. As soon as she carried the girl she heard it on her mind

"_Knock knock"_

"_Who is it?" _she asked playfully; she had taught her daughter to always ask for permission before speaking telepathically to anyone

"_It's me silly" _the little girl answered giggling

"_Oh, hello…how may I help you?"_

"_Willow looks sad"_

"_You think?"_

"_Uh huh…can I go give her a hug?"_

"_Do you want to?"_

"_Yes…I want to tell her that everything is going to be fine"_

"_I bet she'll love it"_

She then dashed out of Tara's arms and threw herself at the arms of an unaware redhead who barely had time to brace herself for the impact

"Wow…not that I'm complaining, but what did I do to deserve it?"

"Everything is gonna be alright" Ariel whispered giving the redhead a sweet kiss on the cheek. Willow raised an eyebrow at Tara who just shrugged back at her

"Ok, why don't we go inside and see if we can fast forward the research and go home?" the blond proposed

"YAY" the little blond yelled and jumped off Willow's lap

Willow stood up and stopped in front of Tara

"Thank you" she whispered

The blond simply nodded and the trio went inside the magic box without noticing the dark figure who had been observing the whole scene from afar.

"I found her!"


	13. Chapter 13

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Part 13

"So?"

"I saw her…she's the one" said the dark witch "I could feel her power…she's everything you said she was"

"Excellent!" the demon raised to his feet feeling very excited "I should have known, such powerful witch would be here, in the hellmouth" he clasped his hands tightly together "I just have to find a way to lure her to me"

"Ah…we have a problem though" he raised a questioning eyebrow to her "I saw the slayer, the brunette that stopped us at the council headquarters…she's here"

"so we have two slayers protecting my witch…I'll not let them get on my way" he starts pacing "I'll find a weakness and use it to get close to the witch" he smiles evilly "I just need a few minutes alone with her to make her one of us…and with her under my control, I'll rule the world"

"What about the child?" interrupted one of the witches "the one from the prophecy?"

"What about her?"

"We have no idea who this child is…much less where to find her"

"It's just a matter of time. I'm close I can feel it" he said confidently

Back in the Summers' residency

"I'm stuffed" Xander declared from the couch where he was half sitting half lying on "Boy, I haven't eaten so much since they opened that all you can it place downtown" he burped "sorry!"

"Tell me about it..." Dawn said "I thought they were going to throw us out from there…you and Buffy probably bankrupted the place."

"HEY" Buffy tried to get up but fell right back at the sofa "I resent that" she said rubbing her tummy and grimacing making everybody giggle

"But Tara's cooking abilities are simply remarkable" Giles spoke like a proud father

"Yep…I drink to that" Faith raised her bottle to a blushing witch

"How come you guys are not all fat-y?" Xander questioned "as a matter of fact Tara has even put on some muscles…" he them yelped and jerked in his seat startling the others

"Hey… what was that for?" he asked rubbing his side

"You were checking her out" Anya said crossing her arms in front of her chest

"I was not…I was just making an observation" he defended himself

"I have to be careful… you know, now that Giles has practically adopted her and her spawn" she said pointing to Ariel who was playing with Willow's laptop "they will probably inherit all his money and his part in the Magic Box as well…and look at her" she got close to Tara and started examining her "she's all HOT, she's a catch!…she's obviously been working out" she finished and looked expectantly to Tara who was beet red by now. Tara look at her and then looked around; everybody was looking back at her with different facial expressions

"I…I've been practicing"

"Practicing what?" Buffy asked curiously

"Kick-boxing" she answered shyly

"You fight now?" Willow asked with wide opened eyes

"y-yes…I had to do some physical activities to eliminate all the weight I put on during the pregnancy, so I decided to l…learn some martial art" she explained

"Wow…I can't imagine you fighting" images of Tara all sweaty dressed in a very tight sports bra with an all muscular abdomen showing started to pop in the redhead mind making her fidgeting in her seat

"You ok?" Kennedy asked her

"Yeah…yeah" she answered quickly _"stop it, stop it, and stop it" _she told herself mentally

"So, how good are you?" Anya challenged "can you take on Buffy?"

"What? No…I'm not good…I didn't say I was good, I just said I practice…in fact I suck" she said smiling nervously

"BS" Faith said "she's pretty good at it…we even train together from time to time"

"Yeah…my mama kicks ass!"

"Ariel…" Tara gave her little girl a disapproving look

"Oops!" she said realizing she was in trouble. Tara shook her head frustrated

"I wonder where she learns this kind of language" bright blue eyes narrowed at a certain brunette slayer

"TV…it has to be from TV…they use such inappropriate language for children nowadays" Faith said hastily and then jumped from her stool "you look at the time…it's slaying time…come on B, let's not keep bad guys waiting" she put on her jacket and was at the door in a flash looking pleadingly at Buffy.

"Yeah, yeah…ok, I'm coming…it might be good for digestion anyway" Buffy said a little grumpily

"Ah…er…can I come?" Kennedy asked sheepishly "I could use the exercise" Buffy looked at Faith who simply shrugged

"Okay"

"Cool…see you later" she gave Willow a peck on the lips and left with the two slayers

"okay…it's definitely time to go…now if any of you guys can call for a tow truck, I'd appreciate" Xander pretended not being able to get up, making Ariel laugh

"Come on Xander…don't be so lazy, I'll buy you some indigestion medicine on the way home" Anya helped him stand from the couch

"Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked suspiciously

"I have to take good care of you so you don't go and try to hit on Tara again" she said walking to the door

"Anya, I wasn't hitting on Tara…" he said while putting on his coat, and them something hit him "on a second thought, she's being all nice to me because…huh…it might be interesting" he said in a low voice "you know what?" he asked louder so his girlfriend could hear him "Tara does look good…in fact I may show her some of my Xander goodness" he winked at the blond who shook her head and smiled

"These two are definitely made for each other" said Giles picking Ariel up and giving her a sweet kiss "good night little angel…have nice dreams"

"Night grandpa"

"Good night girls" he said giving Tara a kiss on the cheek

"Night"

"Night Giles"

"Okay…see you guys tomorrow" Dawn said walking to the door

"Hey, hey…where are you going?"

"The Bronze…I'm meeting some friends there"

"Does Buffy know about it?" the brunette rolled her eyes

"Willow, I'm twenty…I go to college, I don't have to answer to Buffy anymore"

"Oh yeah?" Willow crossed her arms defiantly

"Yeah…but don't tell her, ok?" she left closing the door behind her

"Okay, young lady, it's time to go to bed …let's go and I'll tuck you in" Tara said in a motherly tone

"Can I help?" Willow asked hopefully

"Yeah, come on…you can read to her tonight" Tara answered smiling

The smile on Willow's face was so bright that it could dust a vampire. Ariel grabbed Tara's left hand and with the other hand she took Willow's right hand in hers and hand in hand they went upstairs.


	14. Chapter 14

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_WA24_

Part 14

"You know what? I'm starting to believe this is just a big waste of time" Anya sighed angrily "it's been a week seen you guys arrived with this new prophecy and we have already checked all books we have and nothing; honestly I think it's impossible to find anything if we don't have a new clue soon"

"She's right Giles…we have nothing to compare and we don't know what to look for" Xander agreed with his wife

"Yes, I'm aware of this…it's been a quiet week" the watcher said in a worried tone

"Too quiet actually…" Buffy jumped from her seat "even the patrols…we haven't been having much to slay around here lately, which is always a bad sign, by the way"

"So, what you suggest Buffy?" Giles asked

"I suggest we get into the offensive mode"

"How?" Xander asked curiously

"Well, we start asking" she said simply "if this guy is after Willow, he must have figured by now that the obvious place for her to be would be here, in the Hell mouth" she looked at the redhead who looked a little troubled "and if I'm not mistaken all this quietness could only mean that word has been spread, and it could only mean that this guy, whoever he is, must be close"

"I'm with B" Faith nodded and stood up "I say we go down to the bad places and start some action…right now" she said already grabbing her coat "anyone in favor show hands"

"I'm in" said Xander

"Me too" Kennedy joined them

"I'll stay here and keep searching the internet" Anya announced

"I'll go with you guys" Willow said getting up

"No Will…I think you'd better stay here" Buffy cautioned her best friend

"Buffy is right…it wouldn't be wise for you to expose yourself" Giles warned her "If you are the witch they've been looking for, you'd be safer here" Willow started pacing nervously

"I can't just hide…come on people I can defend myself" she pleaded

"Willow" Tara got close to her ex girlfriend "we don't doubt that, but please stay here…we can work on some protection spells" Tara's soft voice always had a soothing effect on the redhead; she just nodded and stared into the blonde's blue eyes. Sensing the climate between the former lovers, Kennedy jumped right in to regain some territory

"Yeah baby, stay here…it's safer" she said putting on a show by caressing Willow's face and kissing her softly.

Tara felt a not in her stomach caused by the display, but chose to ignore it. She looked down and moved away from the couple, missing the concerned look in Faith's eyes.

"Okay, so let's go" Buffy said trying to avoid anymore awkwardness

As the group left the house, Anya started researching in Willow's laptop; Tara and Willow set up a small altar in the living room, there were candles, crystals and incenses sticks burning everywhere. They sat crossed legs facing one another, then they joined hands, and for a second it seemed like no time at all had passed and they were back in college. And with the same synchronicity they had in the beginning of their relationship about eight years ago, the started chanting

"_**I call upon the powers above; protect this house and the ones we love. No harm shall fall upon them; no harm shall fall upon us"**_

And together they blew some red dust that flowed out of their hands, forming a coil that floated out of the room covering the house and the rest of the gang.

"What the hell was that?" asked Kennedy surprised by the red smoke who just covered them

"I bet it's Willow and Tara's doing" Buffy replied with a nostalgic smile

"Alright, so we are here...what do we do now?" Xander asked ready for action

"Faith and I will get in together first" Buffy said taking command "you guys stay here and guard the door...wait for our signal" she instructed

"And that will be?" Xander asked raising his brows. Buffy looked at Faith who simply shrugged

"We'll come up with something" she waved a hand at him "Okay, come on"

"Be careful you two" Giles told them. They nodded and started to the door of bar

"Right, so what's the plan" Buffy asked the brunette slayer

"Ah...er...what about playing 'good slayer, bad slayer'?" Faith suggested

"Nice..." Buffy smiled excitedly "can I be the bad slayer?" she asked in a child like tone making Faith laugh and roll her eyes before they got in.

Back in the house, Willow and Tara were cleaning the living room

"Mama?" Tara turned to see her little girl rubbing her sleepy eyes with her hair tousled

"Hey sweetie, why are you up?" she said reaching for her little girl

"I had a bad dream" she answered in a small voice

"Oh, poor baby" Willow said getting close to the girl who flinched and buried her face in Tara's neck. The redhead froze in middle action and looked desperately to Tara

"Hey" Tara started rubbing the girl's back "what's happening?"

"Ariel? Are you afraid of me?" Willow asked feeling her body shake when she saw the girl nod and tighten her hold on Tara

"Honey, it's Willow...she's your friend remember?" getting no answer from the girl, she tried again "I remember that you told me she's you new best friend...you said you like her"

"I don't like her anymore!" came a muffled voice from Tara's neck. Tara looked at the redhead witch who seemed to be in the verge of tears

"And why is that?"

"Because she's gonna hurt you" the little girl lifted her head but didn't look at Willow

"Baby, she's not gonna hurt mama" Tara tried to placate the situation "right Willow?" she raised one eyebrow to the redhead who got the idea and started shaking her head frantically

"No…no...Never, I would never hurt your mama...I swear"

"Yes you will" the little girl snapped at her "I saw in my dream…you will help the bad guy, he will come here to take me and you will throw my mama at the wall…"

"You saw that in your dream, baby?" Tara asked softly; the little girl nodded

"I saw Willow dressed in black, and her eyes were black, and her hair was black too…she came here and hit you and you didn't wake up" she said breathing heavily

"Come here angel" Tara said holding the girl. Willow kneeled next to them and tried a different approach

"Hey, baby girl…look at me, please" she pled softly. The little girl shyly turned to her

"Your mama told me you are a very, very powerful little girl and that you have some special abilities, is that true?" Ariel nodded shyly and Willow mimicked her

"Okay…so how about we try something here, huh?" the girl eyed her suspiciously "why don't you read me? I'll let you see what is inside my heart…what you say?" she looked at her daughter expectantly

"Can I mama?" she asked looking at Tara who looked uncertain

Meanwhile in front of the demon bar, the group was starting to get restless

"What's taking them so long?" Kennedy asked impatiently "maybe we missed their sign" the moment the words left her mouth a demon came flying out through a window

"Nope…we definitely couldn't miss that" Xander said rushing inside with the others.

Giles, Xander and Kennedy stood at the door and watched a complete chaos where Buffy and Faith exchanged punches and kicks with a bunch of demons. Suddenly they saw a group of women dressed in black coming from the back door.

All the demons stopped fighting and stepped back leaving the slayers alone with the witches

"Were you looking for us?" one of the witches asked defiantly

"No, actually I was looking for the underwear I lost somewhere around here" Buffy replied cynically

The witch raised her hand and sent Buffy flying across the room; she landed on a table breaking it in half. Faith charged forward and tackled the witch pulling her aside, landing on her back on the floor with the witch on top of her. The other witches came forward and so did Kennedy, Giles and Xander; they split and went in different directions. Buffy got up and was grabbed by another witch. Faith was still wrestling with the first witch; she broke out of her grasp and shoved her backward. Buffy punched the second witch over her shoulder, then flipped her, she fell on her back but raised her leg and kicked Buffy's stomach making her step backwards. Xander was sent flying by a third and landed on his back; she straddled him and tried to choke him. Kennedy came and grabbed her taking her off of him. Giles came and helped him up. The third witch shoved Kennedy against the wall. The second witch got up and tried to punch Buffy while she was panting, but Faith blocked her and hit her on the face. The first witch stood up and was about to run at their direction but stopped suddenly. She made a gesture and the other two witches ran to join her and they left through the back exit.

"I don't get it" Xander said rubbing his neck "were we winning?"

Faith looked at Kennedy getting up and wincing in pain

"I'd say we were even" she said looking at Buffy who was still gasping.

"Then, why did they run?"

"They must've been called" Giles deduced

"Willow!" Buffy whispered worried


	15. Chapter 15

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Part 15

"Mama?" Ariel repeated

"Tara?" Willow looked at the blonde expectantly

"Ok…" Tara sighed audibly "you can read Willow's heart" she said nodding her approval "go ahead, tell me what you see" the little girl nodded slowly, turned to face Willow and looked directly into the redhead's eyes

"I see…love and fear…I see regret and pain" Tara's eyes were teary and Willow heart was thudding violently "I also see sadness…you're scared cause you don't want to hurt anyone"

"No I don't" Willow said softly, tears were rolling down her face freely. Ariel launched herself forward grabbing Willow's neck and hugging her tight. The sobbing redhead put her arms around the little girl and pulled her closer. Tara wasn't holding back anymore, she was moved by the scene in front of her

"You love my mama!" she whispered in Willow's ear

"Yes, I do…and I love you too baby girl" she tightened her hold on the girl and stared direct at Tara

Meanwhile in dark part of the city

"Why did you call us?" the witch asked angrily "we could have taken them"

"Because I don't care about them…" he shot angrily "I care about the witch… and if the slayers are here, it means the witch is unprotected somewhere" the demon stated menacingly

"And do you know where to find her?"

"Yes" he smirked dryly

Xander was driving Buffy's SUV as fast as he could

"We have to hurry…they must have gone after her" Buffy said worriedly

"The cell phones are on the voice mail and there's no answer in the house" Kennedy informed the others

"They must have disconnected the phones in order to perform the spell" Giles presumed

"I hope this spell really works" Xander said looking at the others trough the rearview mirror. The group exchanged worried looks

Back in the house the two witches were sitting on the couch with Ariel between them

"So why don't you tell us a little bit more about your dream, huh?" Willow suggested caressing her daughter's arm

"Yeah honey…you said something about a bad guy?" Tara asked tentatively while softly stroking the little girl's blonde locks "can you tell what he looks like?"

Suddenly a large crash startled them. Willow jumped quickly from the sofa and saw an alarmed Anya coming in the room

"What was that?" she asked confused

"Somebody is trying to break into the house" Anya announced

"Mama?" Ariel clung at Tara

"shh baby…it's okay" she looked at a frantic redhead "we're safe here"

"Do you think the spell will hold them?" Willow sounded worried

"I hope so" Tara whispered back at her

"Where are the others?" Anya asked anxiously

Another boom shook the house

"Is there a way to strengthen this protection spell?" the former demon was starting to panic. Willow and Tara looked at each other and immediately knew what they had to do; Tara stood up and offered her hand to Willow who wordlessly took it. They started chanting something under their breath. Immediately the house started glowing sending the dark witches flying several meters away from the house.

"What's going on?" asked a very upset demon

"We can't get in" one of the witches informed

"The house seems to be protected by some kind of force field" said another witch

"It's the witch" the demon figured "she must have done some kind of protection spell…I felt the energy earlier, that's how a knew where to find her"

"What do we do now" one of the witches inquired

"Nothing…we won't be able to get inside before the slayers return" he analyzed "we must get to the witch when she is unprepared; I need to get her with her guard down"

"Shall we retreat then?"

"Yes… for now" he said glaring at the house

Inside the house, Anya was holding Ariel in her arms while Willow and Tara still had their hands clasped tightly

"Did they leave?" Anya asked due to the sudden quietness

"I think so" Willow replied quietly "the spell worked!" she grinned at Tara

"We are stronger together" they locked eyes smiling sweetly at each other. All of a sudden, the front door busted open and Buffy rushed in

"Willow, Tara…is everybody okay?" she asked checking to see if everything was in order. The rest of the gang darted inside the house; Giles hurried and took Ariel from Anya's arms hugging the little girl tight; Anya flew into Xander's arms; Tara met Faith and hugged her, and Kennedy went to Willow's side

"Yes, we are fine" the redhead informed her best friend "scared but okay" she gave Kennedy a small smile

"What happened? Where is Dawn?" Buffy asked franticly looking everywhere

"Relax, she's not here…remember?" Tara said putting a sooth hand on the blonde slayer's shoulder "she went earlier to a friend's house" Buffy sighed relieved

"Oh, yeah…I forgot" she smiled sheepishly

"So what happened? Who was trying to break in?" Tara asked calmly

"Oh, that must have been the witch-bitches"

"You mean you found them?" Willow asked with her eyes bulging

"Yeah…we were in the middle of a fight when they suddenly retreated" Kennedy informed

"Yes, and as we weren't exactly wining" Xander said showing the marks on his neck "we assumed they would be coming here"

"Are you guys alright?" Tara asked concerned

"Yeah, just some bruises…mostly in the pride tough" Faith joked

"You two performed quiet a spell…excellent job" Giles complimented while smoothing Ariel's hair

"Yes, it was one hell of a force field they put around the house" Anya said genuinely pleased with their work. The compliments made both witches blush and smile shyly

"So…what do we do now" Buffy asked getting into business mode "now we know they're here and that they know where to find us"

"Yes, but we still have no idea who's behind it" Xander observed

"Ah…maybe we have a lead on that" Tara commented nervously "but we better talk about that in the morning"

"Tara is right" Giles declared "it's been pretty exhausting tonight…we should all get some rest, our mind will be fresher in the morning"

"So Anya and I will see you guys in the morning" Xander made an attempt to leave

"Ah, Xan…I don't think it's a good idea" Buffy told her friend

"She's right…they could be around just waiting to find a way to get to Willow" Giles said "it would be safer if you stayed here tonight" Xander shrugged and looked at Anya who shrugged back and nodded her approval

"Okay, then…we stay" he informed lightly

"Good…you guys can crash in the living room"

"Nice…good night then" they said and went straight to the couch

"Come here baby" Tara said picking Ariel from Giles arms "I'll read a nice story for you tonight"

"Can you sing mama?"

"Of course sweetie" she smiled to her little girl and then turned to her girlfriend "you're not coming?"

"In a minute" Faith answered softly "I'll set the perimeter first…just to be sure" Tara nodded simply

"Okay, be careful…night everybody"

"Night Tara" she carried her daughter upstairs while the others retreated to their respective rooms.

Some time latter, Faith was coming back to the house through the back yard, she then saw Buffy coming out of the kitchen door

"Hey"

"Hey, B"

"Found anything?"

"Nope…it's like they simply vanished" she informed shrugging

"They're witches…maybe they flew" Buffy said seriously

"You mean, on broomsticks?" Faith asked trying to keep a straight face

"Yeah" Buffy replied nonchalantly

"Very stereotype" the brunette tried hard not to laugh

"You hungry?" Buffy asked suddenly changing the subject

"You know me…after a fight I'm always…"

"Hungry and horny" Buffy completed her sentence "here…"she grabbed a brown bag that was on the bench "I can fix at least on of your problems" the brunette took the bag and sat next to the blonde

"Sandwich!" she exclaimed happily "nice…thanks B"

"You're welcome…by the way, thanks for saving my ass back there" she thanked shyly

"We're a team…you watch my back, I'll watch yours" she said taking a bite at the sandwich "it's no big" she continued with her mouth full "and you do have a cute back to watch" she smirked at the blonde

"So, you HAVE paid attention to my back, huh?" as soon as the words came out of her mouth she regretted saying them; she couldn't believe she was flirting _"what's wrong with me? I'm not gay!"_ she thought and decided to fix the situation "does Tara know about that?"

"Well…"Faith said wiping her mouth unaware of the struggle going inside Buffy's mind "she knows I ain't blind" she lifted one brow cynically "besides, I've noticed your back way before I met Tara" she informed returning to her sandwich

"Really?" Buffy was taken aback by the revelation

"Come on B…you can't be THAT distracted" she giggled "don't tell me you never realized I had a crush on you?" Faith asked amused

"You did?" Buffy was about to hyperventilate "I thought you were straight…" Faith gave a small laugh and shook her head

"Nah…I was never anything…in fact I don't like labels" she finished her sandwich, scrunched up the paper bag and threw it in the trash "why do I have to be something? I mean, I like someone who happens to be a girl, could've been a boy" she shrugged for emphasis "I think the question here is deeper…it's not about sex, it's about love…I'm in love with a woman, so I go for it…get it?"

"yeah…"she nodded slowly as if she was considering what she'd just heard "I never thought you could be so…wise" she raised a challenging eyebrow to the dark slayer

"What can I say, B…you were never really brilliant!" she stood up, walked past the blonde and leaned forward; putting a hand on Buffy's shoulder, she whispered in her ear "but you do have a cute ass, though!" she smiled flirtingly and went inside

"Night B"

"Night Faith" Buffy kept her stare at the nothingness lost in the turmoil of emotions that was making her heart run a mile a minute.


	16. Chapter 16

Part 16

At Willow and Kennedy's room that night, Kennedy was sitting in a chair facing the window; she seemed to be lost in thought when she heard the door open and Willow get in fresh from her shower. As Willow walked in she went straight to her dresser in order to comb her hair

"So, it was a pretty big mumbo-jumbo you and Blondie performed tonight, huh?" Willow turned to look at her girlfriend who was staring at her

"yes…"she thought for a second and then resumed the combing "it required a great deal of concentration" Kennedy nodded and bit the inside of her cheek as if analyzing what she had heard

"So you still got it, huh?" Willow looked at her blankly "after all these years you and her are still…in sync" realizing what Kennedy meant the redhead furrowed her brows

"It looks like it" she answered simply. The brunette potential released a big sigh and stood up

"I saw the way you're looking at her today"

"Kenny, please…"

"No, Willow" she shook her head and rubbed her eyes in exasperation "you know, I tried; I've been trying hard to pretend that everything is fine, but you know what?" she looked directly at Willow's eyes "it isn't" she stated simply

Willow's eyes were teary; she knew exactly where this conversation was going. So she just sat quietly and let Kennedy talk

"I'd like to say that things have changed since she arrived…I wish I could blame her for ruining our relationship, but the truth is things weren't fine before either." She ran a hand through her hair and continued "it seems to me that our relationship was never…real"

"That's not true" Willow said "we had our moments"

"Exactly…" Kennedy opened her arms and started pacing "that's all we had…moments" she sighed "but unfortunately we can't build a relationship based on moments, Will…you don't love me, you never have; you heart belongs to her, and deep down I always knew that" she said softly "but you know how cocky I am, I thought I could make you forget her" she said smiling sadly "but I think it's time to throw the towel…I quit" she declared using a defeated tone

"What're you saying?" Willow whispered swallowing the lump in her throat

"I'm saying…it's time for me to face the music" Willow didn't blink "I'm saying it's time for me to stop fooling myself"

"Kenny, I never meant to hurt you" she said with tears on her face "it's just…Tara and I…we…I don't know…we belong together" she sighed and stood up "I'm sorry" she whispered getting close to the potential

"So this is goodbye, huh?"

"I guess so" she couldn't avoid feeling a little guilty, she felt a wave of sadness coursing through her body "what are gonna do?"

"Don't know…wait till dawn, find a place to stay" she informed shrugging. The redhead nodded slowly

"Can…can I give you a h…hug?" she asked tentatively

"Sure…come here Red" Kennedy smiled friendly and opened her eyes to the witch who fell fast into them "no hard feelings, okay?" the brunette said stepping away from the hug. Willow nodded and started drying her face

"I'll pack my stuff" she said grabbing a backpack from the closet

"I'll be downstairs" Willow said walking out of the room.

The redhead closed the door behind her and walked silently downstairs in order not to bother Xander and Anya who were sleeping on the couch; she saw the kitchen light was on and wonder who would be up so late. Entering the kitchen she saw her best friend sitting on the kitchen table with a giant pot of ice cream in front of her

"Hey…what's with the ice cream?" she asked furrowing her brows

"Don't ask!" Buffy sighed dramatically "what's wrong? Were you crying?" she asked noticing the redness in the witch's eyes

"Kennedy and I broke up" she answered distressingly

"Ow" Buffy replied making a face "here, grab a spoon"

"Thanks" Willow sat on a stool facing her best friend

"So, what happened?"

"The obvious…"she answered dipping her spoon in the giant pot of mint chocolate chip ice cream on the table "what was bound to happen sooner or later" she shrugged

"Tara?" Buffy asked nonchalantly licking her spoon

"Yeah..." Willow replied stuffing a spoon full into her mouth

"What are you going to do now?" Buffy asked; the redhead shrugged and replied with her mouth full

"Dunno…"she swallowed making a funny face because of the coldness "but I do know that despite all the tension with prophecies and anabolic steroid-y witches…this week has been the best one I had in, I don't know, five years…" she sighed soundly "I'd be lying if I said Tara has nothing to do with it…when I look at her my heart does back flips; when she smiles…Oh My God! Earlier today when we held hands…WOW" she was excited and fanning herself dramatically "while we were performing the spell together, I could feel everything coming back…I'll tell you Buff, when she touches me, I have to restrain myself because all I wanna do is grab her, kiss her, throw her in a bed and…" Buffy stuffed a spoon filled with ice cream in the redhead's mouth

"okay…I get the picture" Buffy said shaking her head as to erase the images "you fell for her again" Willow nodded positively "but…"

"What?" the witch asked with her mouth full of ice cream

"You're aware that she has a girlfriend, aren't you?" the slayer asked seriously

"Yeah" Willow sighed despondently and her shoulders slumped immediately

"Do you think Tara would be capable of cheating?"

"What? No…no, never" she shook her head vehemently "Tara is loyal an…and honest an…and she would never, ever cheat on her girlfriend…and…and I see what you mean" she said noticing the look on Buffy's face who had one eyebrow raised waiting for her friend's realization. The redhead sighed again and got up from her seat

"I don't know what I'm gonna do, Buffy…but I won't give up!" she stated firmly "I won't let Tara walk out of my life again, specially now that I know we have a child together…now more than ever I want her back; I want my family, Buffy" she squared her shoulders and put on her resolved face

"I will have my family back" she vowed to a very amused slayer

Meanwhile in a hidden place somewhere in Sunnydale

"What do we do now?" a witch asked pacing nervously "they now know we're here…they won't be unprepared next time; they will be expecting us"

"I know" the demon shouted angrily "we need information…I need to find a weakness, something to use to get to her" he had a look of pure concentration on his face "I want a full report, give me everything about the witch…I want name, address, places she goes…bring all, likes, dislikes, people she cares about…anything" he finished waving a hand at the witches sending them on a quest for information

"I will have the witch and she will give me the world" he declared grinning evilly


	17. Chapter 17

Part 17

Two days had passed since Kennedy moved out of the house. She had found a nice dorm at the campus; once she decided to go back to college that was the most logical place for her to live. Willow felt bad when she saw her leaving, but she knew that was the right decision, that was the ONLY choice.

She got up late this morning, last night she had stayed up working on a new system her boss had asked her to develop. When she came down the stairs she saw a very agitated four-year-old taping her foot

"Would you please hurry? It's getting late" she crossed her arms in front of her chest

"Hey, baby girl…why the pouting?" she asked her daughter softly

"we're supposed to go to the park, but it's getting late and if she doesn't hurry when we get there the sun will be high and my mama doesn't allow me to play too long under the sun, because she says it's very hot and I will have a headache" she said it in one breath

"and that's why I'm grabbing some bottles of water" Faith said coming out of the kitchen this way you can not only play but also babble without getting dehydrated" she finished with a smirk putting a cap on Ariel's head

"Morning Red"

"Morning" Willow greeted back looking around noticing the quietness around the house "where is everybody?"

"Uh, let me see…Giles, Tara and Anya are at the Magic Box, Xander and Buffy went to work and Dawn went to college"

"And I'm here" Ariel informed happily

"I can see that" Willow smiled sweetly "and I can also see that you are all ready to leave" the little girl nodded enthusiastically

"Faith is taking me to the park…would you like to come with us?"

"I…uh…I don't…think…uh" the redhead hesitated

"Can she Faith? Can she come with us?" she asked hopefully. The rogue slayer looked at the redhead and shrugged

"Sure…if she wants to"

"Okay…I'll come with you" Willow finally gave in; she wasn't able to deny anything to the little girl

"YAY…let's go" she grabbed her backpack and stormed out

"Here…I think you'll need this" she gave the redhead an energy bar "if you want to keep up with little endurance over there" she smirked

"Thanks" Willow smiled and rolled her eyes

"Shall we?" both women walked out of the house to meet an electric child outside

In the magic box Giles, Anya and Tara were in full research mode

"Anything?" he asked

"Nada" Tara sighed and slammed her book close. She was starting to get frustrated "Ariel's description of 'the bad guy' was too vague" she said referring to her daughter's dream of the night before "we only know that he looks like a man and not one of those bizarre things that keep showing up around here"

"What do you mean by bizarre?" Anya asked from her seat "some of the demons are actually cute" Tara rolled her eyes and stood up

"Well at least we can narrow things down" Giles walked in Tara's direction "but I know you…I can tell there's something bothering you" he removed his glasses and leaned on the counter "care to share?" she released a big sigh and tied her hair in a ponytail style

"I'm worried about Willow" she declared simply

"Why? Did anything happen?"

"Not exactly, but…" she picked behind him to make sure Anya wasn't listening "in Ariel's dream, she saw Willow…get evil"

"Dear Lord!" he exclaimed and stood straight tucking his glasses back on

"She said the demon came to the house to kidnap her, and Willow helped him" she told him the girl's dream

"Bloody hell… do you think this is one of her…"

"Premonitory dreams?" he nodded "I'm afraid so" she shook her head nervously "what do we do, Giles?" she asked "what if she really turns evil, huh? Do you think we have the power to stop her?" he didn't answer but his seriousness showed all his concern

Meanwhile in the park Ariel was wearing both women out

"Okay kiddo…I think Red and I need a time out"

"But Faith…" she whined

"No buts…"Faith warned "go play over there with the little girl's dog…but stay where I can see you" she shouted to the dashing little blond. The brunette then dropped unceremoniously on a bench next to Willow

"Here" Willow offered her a bottle of water

"Thanks"

"You weren't kidding about the endurance-ness-y" Willow said smiling; the brunette raised an eye brown at the new word

"Nope" the slayer said shaking her head "she runs on long life battery"

"I can see that…where all this energy comes from?" Willow asked furrowing her brows

"Dunno…Tara's food, probably" Faith answered chuckling

Willow nodded slowly as if she were thinking deeply about something

"You've changed, Faith" she said and turned to see the slayer staring at her with one eyebrow raised "I mean, you're nothing like the Faith we met in high school" Faith nodded realizing what the witch was trying to say

"I guess I grew up, Red" the brunette smiled and ducked her head "when I was in jail I reconsidered many things about my life" she lifted her head and scanned the park "but I have to be honest, I learned a lot about being a better person by living with Tara all those years" she looked back to the redhead who was listening attentively "she is a magnificent person, an amazing woman and a flawless mother" the redhead smiled agreeing silently with the slayer who went on "She can be tough and sweet, strong and docile at the same time…she's mature and balanced…she's focused, determined, but gentle" Faith finished with a gleam of pride in her eyes

"Yes, she is" Willow whispered lowering her head

"You still love her, don't you Red?" Faith asked directly. Willow's heart started hammering, she wasn't prepared for this confrontation, but there wasn't a way out of it now

"What if I say yes, will it change anything?" the witch asked directly

"No. I guess not" Faith answered honestly, and then released a big sigh "I won't step aside and let you have her…I won't give up on her, not without a fair fight" the brunette stated firmly

"I will fight for her, Faith…" Willow announced boldly "Tara and I belong together…I know I screwed up before but…I'll do everything I can to make her trust me again" she said openly "don't get me wrong, I'm not threatening you, Faith...it's just…" she sighed and closed her eyes "I want to be happy, and they are my happiness" she said nodding into her daughter's direction

"I love Tara, Willow" she said pronouncing the witch's name for the first time "and if you want to be with her, you are going to have to prove you're are better for her than I am" Faith declared solemnly. Ariel chose this moment to rush back to them

"I'm hungry"

"Wow…let's see what we can do to feed this monster in there" Faith said tickling the little girl's belly

From afar, two figures observed them hidden among the trees

"That's her…I can feel the power emanating from her"

"We can get her now…she distracted" a witch said stepping forward

"No…she's with the slayer" he said stopping her "I don't want to cause a commotion…besides, if I'm not mistaken, we've just found the missing part of the prophecy"

"The missing part?" the witch asked confused

"The child"


	18. Chapter 18

Part 18

Later that night the two slayers had gone patrolling and were having one hell of a busy night; it seemed that every demon in town had decided to challenge them

"What the hell is going on with this town?" Buffy asked flipping another vamp and dusting him "one week it's calm and boring" she ducked and punched another weird demon that was attacking her "the other week we have demons coming from everywhere" she blocked a punch and sent the demon flying against a tree

"Who knows" Faith shouted while sword-fighting with another strange creature "I think somebody is trying to tire us out" she grunted and ducked a sword thrust. The creature kicked her knee unbalancing her for a second. He took advantage of her distraction and thrust his sword again; she used her forearm to block it, with one fast motion she flipped the demon and stabbed him across the chest

"Don't you love when they just go poof?" she smirked at Buffy

"Faith, you're bleeding" Buffy hurried to the brunette's side and took a piece of cloth to wrap the other slayer's arm

"Chill, B…it's no big" she said bravely but winced "ouch, but it stings like hell"

"Come on let's call it a night" Buffy declared leading them back to the house

At the Summers' residence things were pretty calm. Giles was reading while Xander, Anya and Dawn watched some scary movie in the living room. Upstairs, Tara was putting her little girl to sleep when she saw a shy redhead leaning at the door frame

"Hey" Tara said quietly in order not to disturb the sleeping child

"Hey...is she asleep? Willow asked stepping in

"Yes…she was pretty tired" Tara said pulling the covers over her daughter "it seems that you and Faith wore her out today" she said smiling softly

"Really? I could swear it was the other way around" the redhead returned the blonde smile; she took a sit on the bed next to Tara "so…you guys found anything useful today?"

"Not really" the blonde answered simply "it's been pretty much a goose chase"

"Did…did you mention…uh…you know" the redhead asked shyly

"Ariel's dream?" Tara asked for confirmation

"Aside from the demon description, I mean" Willow clarified

"I only talked to Giles about that…" Tara assured the redhead who seemed nervous

"Are you okay?" Tara asked cocking her head to the side

"Do…do you think she's right? I mean you said that her dreams…"

"I think you shouldn't waste so much energy on something that may not happen" Tara said looking directly at her ex girlfriend's eyes "I think we should focus on what's happening now…on what we have in our hands at the moment"

Willow looked at her with a look of admiration

"What?" Tara asked blushing under the intensity of the redhead's stare

"You are all grown up!" she stated proudly "I mean, of course you're grown up, cause you're an adult, and you have a kid, so you're a woman…puff…of course you're a woman…if you weren't a woman I wouldn't probably be gay now, cause I only discovered I was gay cause I fell for you almost eight years ago, although eight years ago you weren't reeeeaaallly a woman you were more like a girl a shy, very, very shy girl who had this cute habit of hiding behind a veil of hair and…and stutter, you used to stutter when you got nervous which was so lovable by the way, actually you were the most lovable girl I had ever seen in my life" she said the last sentence in something above a whisper and blushed a crimson red

"It's good to see you still do that" Tara smiled her famous lopsided grin "I always loved your babbling"

"I always loved everything about you, Tara" Willow said boldly

"Willow…" Tara tried to get up feeling a little uncomfortable

"No, please" Willow held her hand and kept her in place "listen to me" she turned her head and looked at Ariel who sounded asleep "I never had the chance to apologize to you for what a did, for how I behaved five years ago…I know I betrayed you, but I couldn't see it clear back then…in my head I wasn't doing anything wrong…when you compared me to Glory, to what she had done to you I thought…'gee come on, Tara is so dramatic' I couldn't understand what you meant…and when you left, I felt so…hurt" she furrowed her brows and sighed "but after the accident, I came to my senses…I accepted that I had a problem, and I saw how stupid I had been because…over some meaningless things I…I had lost the most precious gift life had ever given me"

"Willow I don't…" Tara was starting to get restless

"Let me finish" she pled and put a finger on the blonde's lips to silence her "when I realized my stupidity, it was too late; you had already flown to England…I tried to contact you, I called you many times, but I could never reach you…I even considered going after you there, but I decided against it, I thought you were too mad to see me" she removed her finger and stood up "well, as the time went by it got harder to try some kind of contact…you know what I mean" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair "I won't lie to you but…at some point I…I started loosing hope; I thought I would never see you again…that's when I decided to try to move on"

"Kennedy?"

"Yeah, Kennedy" she sighed and started pacing "I tried…she came and she said all those nice things and…well, you know" Tara nodded silently. Willow went back to bed, kneeled in front of Tara and held her hand "but the moment I laid eyes on you again, I knew I was kidding myself…she couldn't replace you, no one can…my heart belongs to you, my soul belongs to you…you're still my everything" she let the words come from her heart

"Willow" Tara whispered softly

"Tara please, give me a chance…let me prove to you I'm a different person…you can't have erased our past, you loved me…we are soul mates!" she said staring directly at the blue eyes in front of her. Tara got up from the bed stepping away from the redhead

"Willow, things are not that simple" she looked over at her daughter "we can't just pretend that five years haven't passed" she said staring at emerald green eyes

"I know…I'm not asking that" Willow got up and walked purposefully towards the blonde. She got close to Tara and took her face holding it with both of her hands "I'm asking for a chance, a chance to build a life together…you, me and our daughter" without breaking their gaze, she tucked softly an errant lock of blonde hair behind Tara's ear "I want her to know I'm her mommy…I want the three of us to be a family" Willow leaned her head forward until her lips were almost pressing against Tara's soft ones

"Please, baby" she whispered softly.

Tara's heart began to beat fiercely when she felt Willow's warm breath tickling her face. She closed her eyes; one look into deep dilated green eyes and she knew she'd give in. With both her hands she pushed Willow back gently, she needed to put some distance between them

"I can't" she whispered softly "not right now, I can't" She took a deep calming breath; she ran her hands through her light sand brown hair. She needed to think clear

"I can't do that to Faith…I can't hurt her" she looked apologizing at Willow "I'm sorry"

"I understand" Willow replied nodding lightly. She then went back to the bed and kissed her daughter softly. She turned to look at the blonde and saw her putting her arms around herself

"I should go" she said despondently. Tara nodded mutely

"Good night" Willow ducked her head and left the room unaware that the display had been entirely watched by a distressed brunette slayer.


	19. Chapter 19

_Okay Guys,_

_Bring on the angst…_

_Feedback, please!_

_WA24_

Part 19

Buffy was in the kitchen devouring a super-double-extra-cheese cheeseburger she had purchased on her way home; slaying always worked an appetite for the blond slayer. She was so concentrate on her treat that she almost missed the back door closing and someone walking out to the backyard. Curiosity got the best of her and she decided to check who that might be. Picking through the glass part of the door, she saw Faith sitting on the bench looking distressed. Against her better judgment, she put down her sandwich and went to talk to the brunette

"Are you crying?" she asked softly coming from behind

"What?" caught by surprise, Faith started drying her face quickly "come on, B…you know me, I don't cry" she said putting on a bravado

"Hum…actually, I KNEW you and, your old self didn't cry, but…"she took a sit next to the brunette "this new Faith…I believe, she would know that there's nothing wrong in spilling a few tears" she said looking at Faith

"It seems that she's stupid" the brunette said bitterly

"It seems that she's smart" Buffy said honestly "I like her"

"You like me?" Faith asked lifting one eyebrow

"Yeah, you know…you still a pain and cocky, but you're different…you're a better person"

"Unfortunately I'm not good enough" she sounded hurt

"Good enough for whom? Tara?"

"Maybe" she whispered and lowered her head

"Did you guys have a fight?" Buffy asked genuinely concerned

"Nope…we didn't fight" she answered shaking her head "we haven't even spoken yet"

"So what happened?" the brunette released a big sigh and ran her fingers through her dark her

"You know, B…I really appreciate your concern, but…"

"It's none of my business" Buffy completed feeling a little rejected

"No, B…it's not that" Faith sighed again, she didn't mean to be rude "I just need to be alone right now…I need to think" she looked at the blonde honestly "please?"

"Okay" Buffy nodded understanding

"I'll talk to you in the morning, ok?" the brunette asked softly

"Okay" the Blondie sighed and stood up

"Thanks" Faith said to the retreating slayer. Buffy stopped and looked back at the rogue slayer

"Night Faith"

"Night B"

Upstairs Tara was getting ready for bed; she was about to turn the lights off when she heard her little girl's voice

"Mama?"

"Hey…why are you awake?" she said sitting next to her daughter

"Is Willow my mommy?" Ariel asked shortly taking the blonde witch by surprise

"What? Why are you saying that?" Tara was getting agitated

"I heard you talking" the little girl sat straight and looked at her mother

"Oh, so you weren't sleeping as sound as I thought huh?" she asked lifting one eyebrow to her daughter

"sorry mama…I didn't want to listen, I was sleeping but I heard Willow's voice and I thought she had come to kiss me goodnight but then you guys started talking and it sounded serious and I didn't want to interrupt so I didn't move and stayed very quiet so you two thought I was sleeping and Willow came a gave me a good night kiss" she finished with a sigh and a hopeful look on her face. Tara smiled and cradled her little girl in her arms

"It's alright sweetie…I was going to talk to you anyway" she smoothed the little blonde hair

"Well…is she?" Ariel asked expectantly.

"Yes…yes Willow is your mommy" Tara answered truthfully. Expecting a big yelp of joy from the girl she was surprised to see just a small smile forming on the girl's lips "what's the matter honey?" she asked lifting a suspicious eyebrow "I thought you're going to be overjoyed"

"I am" the little girl replied quietly "I like Willow, she's fun and smart and she likes to play with me…"

"But?" Tara questioned curious to know what the problem was

"Does it mean that we are not going back to England?"

"Would it be very bad if we stayed and lived here?" Tara asked carefully

"I don't know" the girl answered in a small voice "I like it here, but I'd miss grandpa" Tara hugged her daughter

"Oh honey, you two wouldn't lose contact…you could phone him everyday and you could visit him on the holidays, and he could come and visit us here" she looked straight into the girl's eyes "I don't think that would be a problem" the girl's face didn't cheer up and she knew there was more "what's really bothering you sweetie?" Tara finally asked directly

"We are going to lose Faith, aren't we?" Ariel asked with teary eyes. Tara was taken aback by the question; she didn't see that one coming

"I hope not" she replied thoughtfully "after all she's our friend, isn't she?" she asked more to herself

"But she's your girlfriend, mama…you can't have two girlfriends, right?"

"Right" Tara sighed deeply

A few hours later both blondes were finally asleep. Tara had rocked Ariel and sang a few lullabies in order to sooth the girl. She didn't want her daughter to be caught in the middle of her mess, but she knew it was too late now and she had to find a way to solve it with minimal damage. She had laid there contemplating the situation balancing the pros and cons trying to decide what to do with her life, but her eyelids got heavier and heavier and she finally gave in. It didn't seem she'd be sleeping much longer when she heard someone sneaking in the bedroom

"Hey"

"Hey…sorry, I didn't mean to wake you" Faith said looking at the blonde

"It's late…what time is it?" Tara asked sitting on the bed

"Don't know" Faith shrugged

"Where have you been?" Tara asked rubbing her sleepy eyes "I was worried"

"Sorry, I lost track of time" the brunette apologized without much explanation. Tara simply nodded, she knew something wasn't right

"Are you hungry? I'll fix you something…" she offered and started to get up

"Nah, I'm okay…" Faith said holding her down with a soft hand "go back to sleep" When Faith put a hand on her shoulder, she could see the bloody cloth wrapped around the slayer's forearm

"Are you hurt?" she jumped out of bed alarmed

"It's just a scratch" the slayer waved a hand to her

"You're bleeding" Tara said trying to reach for the hurt arm

"No, it's not bleeding anymore" the brunette said unwrapping the injured part "it's nothing T, seriously…go back to bed" she said trying to leave to the bathroom only to have Tara blocking her way

"Drop the tough act Faith" Tara warned seriously "let me take a look at that" Faith just sighed and gave in, she knew Tara wouldn't back away

"It looks deep, but I don't think it'll need stitches though" Tara declared examining the wound

"Told you…it's just a scratch" she said drawing her arm back. Tara lifted one intrigued eyebrow, she knew Faith was upset she just didn't know why, but she was determined to find out

"Sit down…let me clean it" she commanded firmly. The brunette obeyed silently and sat at the armchair near the window; Tara went to the bathroom and came back with a first aid kit she kept there. After two years dating a slayer, she knew pretty well that she needed to have one. She then sat on the arm of the armchair and put the slayer's arm on her lap and started cleaning it

"So" she started tentatively "are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Faith shot back

"Tell me why you are mad" she said without looking at the slayer. Faith, on the other hand, kept her stare at blonde, she didn't want to lose her temper, but she didn't want to lie either

"I saw it" she said plainly. Tara stopped her ministrations but still didn't make eye contact "you and Willow" the brunette didn't even blink watching the blonde's reaction. Tara resumed the cleaning calmly although her heart seemed ready to leave her chest

"Nothing happened…I would never cheat on you, Faith" she said softly

"I know that…" Faith sighed, pulled her arm and stood up; the brunette faced her girlfriend and decided to cut to the chase "do you wanna go back to her?" Tara kept her stare for a few seconds then closed her eyes and sighed deeply

"I don't know…I'm confused" she decided to go with the truth "she hurt me, she betrayed me, but she's so different now…she says things to me that" she rubbed her face and got up "I don't want to lie to you, but I don't want to hurt you either" she stood in front of the brunette and looked direct into her eyes "you're very important to me, and I don't want to throw our relationship away…you came to my life in a very hard moment and you made me realize I could be happy again" she reached to the slayer's hand and hold it gently "you loved my child and took care of her as if she were your own" Faith snatched her hand and moved away from the blonde

"So you're just thankful" she said shaking her head

"No" Tara wanted to go to her but decided to stay put "I like you, Faith…I really do" she started pacing nervously "I don't just go bedding people around Faith…I only had two people in my bed, and I think that proves how important you are to me" she could feel her body shaking, but she knew that wasn't the moment to collapse

Faith could hear her heart thundering in her chest. Never in her live had she felt so vulnerable

"But you don't love me" she said dejectedly

"I do, I do love you…it's just…when I'm near her, I feel this…I don't know, connection?" Tara was about to lose it, there was a lump forming in her throat "she's my soul mate" she whispered softly and held her head with both hands "Goddess, I don't know what to do" Faith wasn't used to see Tara so distraught; she knew the blonde was in turmoil so she decided to take matters in her own hands

"I think we need a break" she declared simply "you need to make sure what you want Tara…I love you but I don't want to be on the way of your happiness…if you think she can make you happy, then I'll step aside" Tara was speechless, she couldn't believe how fast things had changed "it's like I told Red, if she proved to me that she was the best for you, I wouldn't be an obstacle"

"Faith, I…" the brunette close the distance between them but made no move to touch the blonde

"If you think she can make you happy, I say go for it…give the kiddo her family" she said gently nodding in Ariel's direction. Tara turned her head to look at her daughter and prayed for her to really be sleeping soundly this time

"She knows" she whispered and turned to Faith who was looking questionably at her "she knows about Willow…she overhead our conversation earlier" Faith nodded in acknowledgment

"How did she take it?"

"She's divided…she loves Willow, but she loves you too…" she informed honestly "she said she doesn't want to lose you" she looked into the brunette's eyes "and neither do I"

Faith kept her stare, she wanted to kiss the blonde, she wanted to hold her and take back her words, she didn't want a break, she wanted to take Tara into her arms and make love to her, but she knew she couldn't, she had to be strong

"You won't…neither of you will" she promised nodding to Tara. She then moved towards the bed, bent forward, gave Ariel a sweet kiss and moved to walk out of the room

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs, I'll sleep on the couch" the slayer explained to the witch

"Faith, you don't have to…we can share the bed" Tara suggested. Faith smiled and shook her head

"No we can't, I need to put some space between us…at least for now" she looked at the blonde who was in the verge of tears and before she did something she would regret latter she turned to leave

"Goodnight Tare" she closed the door behind her

The moment the door closed Tara collapsed, all the emotions from the day came rushing into her and she started sobbing silently. She lay down next to her daughter and cried herself to a restless sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Part 20

The morning after a night full of emotion is always terrible to face, and for Tara the night before was one of the busiest of her life. She had had very little sleep. She spent the rest of the night reviewing the events that had shaken her to the point of uncontrollable sobs. Fortunately Ariel had slept peacefully after their chat. This morning the child had awaken early but didn't want to bother her mother, so she left the room quietly and went to be with Dawn. Now Tara was on her way to the Magic Box to meet the rest of the gang there. Stepping inside, she saw almost everybody in there

"Hey" she greeted sheepishly

"Hey Tara"

"Sorry I'm late" she apologized hurriedly "I didn't get much sleep last night"

"You cried" Anya said based on the redness of the blonde's eyes

"What? No, I didn't" the witch denied

"Yes, you did…your eyes are all…puffed" Anya insisted

"It's just lack of sleep" the ex demon just snort and let the matter drop

"Where is Ariel?" Xander asked

"She's with Dawn…they're playing video games" she informed then she looked around the room as if looking for something "have you guys seen Faith?"

"Nope…not since last night" Buffy replied

"Is everything alright, dear?" Giles asked sensing something

"Yeah…it's just…she just left very early, that's all" she answered avoiding their eyes, especially Willow's

"Very well…uh Buffy, why don't you update the others with the late slaying events" he suggested

"Okay" she shrugged

"Good…keep up with the research" he instructed "uh, Tara…can I have a word with you in private, please?" he asked. She nodded positively and they both excused themselves and went to the training room

"What is it Giles?" she asked anxiously

"Tara, I'll speak freely…I guess I earned that right" he mentioned her to sit down, which she did without taking her eyes off of him

"After all these years, you have become the closest thing to a daughter to me. You and Ariel have become my family" he said seriously

"You're scaring me" she smiled nervously

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…it's just" he sighed and sat beside her "I think Anya is right" he looked at a smirking Tara "I know, shocking, but still…you had been crying and Faith is nowhere in sight and Willow's been very quiet all morning…not to mention how the two of you were avoiding eye contact out there…wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Willow went to my room last night" she informed rubbing her face "Faith saw us"

"Dear Lord" he exclaimed and stood up "did she do anything…violent?" he asked removing his glasses

"NO…no…no way…s-s-she didn't e-e-even l-l-let W-Willow s-s-see her" she was nervous, she hasn't stuttered so much in a long time. She took one long calm breath before continuing "she only talked to me when she came back later"

"What did she say?"

"Well, to shorten it, she said we needed a break; that I need some time to decide what I want" she summarized

"What do you mean?" he eyed her suspiciously "what happened between you and Willow?"

"Nothing" she shot defensively "we t-talked…she wants us to g-get back together" she stood up "she says she wants to give Ariel a family…oh God" she sighed in exasperation "my head is about to explode" she put her fingers through her hair massaging her scalp

"Do you want to go back to Willow?" he asked directly. She opened her eyes and looked straight to him

"I don't know…Faith gives me stability, but my feelings for Willow are…strong. I don't want to hurt anyone" she replied honestly

"you have to be concerned about not hurting yourself" he advised in fatherly tone "don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Willow, on the contrary, I think she's a remarkable young woman, with extraordinary powers, but let's face it she hurt you and I was the one to pick up the pieces." He put his glasses back on and looked seriously at her "what makes you so sure she won't break your heart again?"

"Nothing…I can't predict that" she shook her head and started pacing "but I'm also sick and tired of 'what ifs' in my life…'what if I had stayed?'…'what if I had given her a chance?'…I'm tired Giles, I think it's time to jump and see if there's water in the pool" she sounded distressed. He moved to her side and hugged her sweetly

"Whatever you decide, I'll be at your side" he said softly and kissed her head

"Thank you" she moved away from the hug and dried her eyes "I think I'll use the training room a little" she sniffed and tied her hair "practicing helps me take my mind off the problems for a little while"

"Ok, I'll be out there with the others" she nodded and he left

Over one hour later, Tara had stretched and practiced some blows; now, she was working on her kicks. She was so concentrated on kicking the sandbag that she didn't hear the door opening

"You've got to work on that leg raising…it's compromising your balance" Tara spun fast and saw the brunette slayer standing at the door

"Faith!" in a lightening speed she went to door and enveloped the rogue slayer in a heartfelt hug "where have you been? I was so worried" Faith didn't have time to react, so she just put an arm around the blonde's waist in pure reflex, but let go quickly

"Oh, I went for a walk" she stated simply stepping back from Tara

"You ok?" Tara tried to get close again but Faith straightened up and stiffed a little

"Yeah, I came to call you…you gotta see this" She walked out of the training room and Tara followed her. They met the others at the main area of the shop

"Okay Faith, what's the big news?" Xander asked clasping his hands excitedly

"Right…well I was kind of…uh…lacking sleep last night" she said sneaking a glance at Tara who had her head low "so I went for a walk…well, guess who I saw?"

"The bitch squad!" Buffy guessed animatedly

"Exactly"

"You fought them alone?" Tara asked ready to scold the slayer

"No…I wasn't ready to get my ass kicked again" she looked seriously to Tara who visibly relaxed "but I followed them, and guess what?"

"You saw the demon? The one who's behind all this?" Buffy asked hopefully

"Better than that" she then picked her cell phone out of her pocket and showed it to the gang "check this out"

"You took his picture?" Xander asked amazed

"You gotta love technology" she said smirking

"Faith this is…brilliant" Giles said astonished

"I know…well, I thought that Red could upload it and check the internet to see if we get a match" she explained and turned to Willow "can you do it?"

"yeah, yeah…I could connect the cell phone an…and transfer the image and put it on line, so I could hack into the council database and research their library…you know, they have a powerful scanner they use to transfer thousand of book of shadows with lots and lots of demons pictures" she was gesticulating like crazy totally excited "oh, oh…they have this…"

"Okay, Will…work your magic, keep the mystery" Buffy stopped her

"Sorry" she apologized blushing

"Finally, we have something to work on" Anya said lifting her arms in a dramatic motion

"Well done Faith" Giles complimented her again, making the brunette shy away. She gave him a sheepish smile and look at Tara who was looking at her proudly. She lowered her eyes, smiled sadly and went outside leaving a sad blonde witch and an intrigued blonde slayer behind.


	21. Chapter 21

_Hey Guys,_

_Thanks for all the feedback…I love them!_

_I'd say this one is PG16…hehehe_

_Let's heat it up a little!_

_WA24_

Part 21

After a well deserved trip to the Espresso Pump, Xander and Faith were walking back to the magic box where the others were still deep in research

"So, those witches are pretty hot, huh?" Xander said trying to make small talk. Faith raised an eyebrow and smirked at him

"Don't let your wife hear you say that" she smiled

"You're right" he nodded his agreement

"She's a piece of work…pretty unique" the slayer commented amusingly

"Yep…she's a handful that one…she just says what pops to mind, some people think it's annoying, I think it's authentic" he stated a little proudly

They entered the shop carrying the food and beverage

"Honey, I'm home"

"Hey, there you are…finally" Anya said coming to meet them "what did you get?"

"Uh, let's see…we have mochas, decaf, cappuccinos and tea for Mister British" Xander informed

"And muffins, lots and lots of muffins" Faith said putting the bags on the table

"Good I'm starving" Buffy said fiddling with the bags

"So, how's the hacking, are you done yet?" he asked to the redhead

"Almost" she said not taking her eyes off the screen

"What's taking you so long?" Anya asked impatiently "I thought you said you're good"

"I am good" Willow snapped a little annoyed "it's just that…they must have increased security" she said furrowing her brows in sign of concentration. Tara smiled looking at the redhead's face _"just like our daughter" _she thought

"They did" she told Willow "after the break into they decided to reinforce security and it included changing the system"

"That explains it" the redhead nodded "but like I said, I am good…and…there isn't a system…I can't crack…BINGO!" she shouted happily

"You did it?" Buffy asked

"I did it" she smiled proudly "I'm in…now I'm just going to load the picture Faith took, and…using the search key…I'll try to get a match" she enunciated every step typing frantically "and we must have a result in 5…4…3…2…1 and here it is!"

"Do we have a match?" Giles asked hopefully

"Yes we do…check this out" Willow said showing her laptop to the others "his name is Andreas, his a demon class five"

"How many classes are there?" Buffy asked curiously

"Seven…" Anya informed "although it's very rare to meet a class seven…if this guy is a five, it means that he has a human form, and that he bleeds, red, not green; and his powerful but not indestructible"

"What else it says in there?" Tara asked

"Not much…just that his mother was a witch and his father, a powerful demon" she read the information "according to this he's got some kind of mind control power, some sort of hypnoses"

"That's probably how he is mastering the witches" Giles concluded

"But I don't get it…why is he using the witches and not some low class demon?" Xander asked intrigued

"Probably because their human" Anya guessed "if he used demons the slayers could kill them, but as they're humans…"

"He knows we can't hurt them" Buffy completed and Anya nodded at her

"What can we do?" Faith asked "how do we break this…control?"

"You have to kill him" Anya said

"Does the book say how we do this?" she asked

"Actually there are two possibilities" Willow said "one, we need some of his blood in order to make a potion"

"Well I don't think his willing to donate…" Xander joked "what's the other?"

"A spell…a good one with a great power behind it" she looked at Tara and they locked eyes for the first time that day

The gang was tired and decided it was time to call it a day. It had been very tiring but a very profitable day. Tara took a long shower in order to relax her muscles that had started to complain about all the stress from the last couple of days. She had asked Giles to watch over Ariel tonight, she needed some alone time. She was now at the backyard, she was sitting on the bench with a book on her lap, her hair was still damp from the shower and she was wearing a white cotton dress. The book on her lap was still closed she wanted to read it but couldn't concentrate; so she decide to recline back and contemplate the sky. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the redhead coming behind her

"Hi" Willow said softly. Tara jumped a little startled by the redhead's presence

"h-hi"

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to scary you…I was just up in my room and I saw you here by yourself and I thought I should come down here to…apologize for the other night" explained Willow

"It's okay…I was just thinking" Tara said massaging her nape

"You okay?" Willow asked sympathetically

"Yeah, just tired" the redhead nodded but didn't believe it

"Where's Ariel? I haven't seen her all day" she sat next to the blonde

"She's with Giles…I needed some time alone" Tara sighed

"Is everything alright?" Willow asked directly "you look…worried and kinda sad too" Tara watched the redhead's concerned face and decide to go with the truth

"Ariel overhead us last night" Willow's eyes shot wide open

"You mean…"

"She knows…she knows you're her mommy" Tara said simply

"Oh My God!" Willow stood up and started pacing "Oh My God…what…what did you tell her? What did she hear? How did she react?" she was beginning to hyperventilate

"Willow take it easy" Tara stood up and took the redhead by the arm and led her back to the bench "first I told her the truth, she heard pretty much everything, and she's ok…"she smiled sweetly answering the questions in order "she likes you and I think that with time you two are going to be great friends, but you need to give her some time"

"How is she?" Willow asked still agitated

"She's confused, she's happy to know that you are her mommy…" the redhead smiled broadly but it faded as Tara went on "but she doesn't want to lose Faith in the process"

"Lose Faith?" Willow asked confused "why would she lose Faith?" Tara released a big sigh

"Apparently we weren't exactly alone last night" Tara put her fingers through her wet hair "Faith saw us"

"Oh my God…Tara I'm so sorry…" she stood up again "I didn't mean to cause you any problems…it wasn't my intention I swear"

"It's okay Will…I know that"

"What happened?" Willow asked resuming her seat

"We talked…" she looked at Willow who was looking at her in distress and felt a lump forming in her throat "oh Dear Lord, my life is such a mess right now" she rubbed her face and stood up "I didn't plan any of this…I didn't expect things to happen this way"

"Tara I…" the blond shook her head and tears started spilling from her eyes again

"I don't know what to do…I never meant to hurt anybody, and now…even my daughter is kept in the middle of my mess" she was breaking down, she was breathing heavily "I feel like things have fall apart so hard that I can't put them back the way they were" Willow was crying hard by now she couldn't bear to see Tara so broken like that, every tear of the blond shattered the redhead's heart into million pieces, so she did what her heart told her to do, she went to the blonde's side and hugged her tight

"shh, it's okay…everything is going to be okay" she tried to comfort the sobbing blonde by whispering soft words in her ear. Tara's sobs started to subside as she felt Willow rubbing her back with circular moves and releasing some kind of soothing energy. She started to pull back slowly, sliding her wet cheek along the redhead's teary face. Willow simply stared too amazed to even blink; she stared into deep blue eyes that seemed to be looking direct into her soul. She licked suddenly dry lips, she could smell the vanilla scent from Tara's shampoo; she was overwhelmed, she felt that Tara was meant to be in her arms. For what seemed like eternity both women allowed themselves to get lost in each others eyes like they used to get such a long time ago. Tara put down all her rationality and did what her heart was screaming for her to do. She simply closed the short distance that was separating their mouths and crashed their lips together. The moment Tara's mouth met hers, Willow felt her world spinning, and the electricity that came from the kiss made goose bumps chase up and down her spine. She tightened her arms around Tara and pulled her closer. Tara's body was reacting pretty much the same way; when she felt Willow pull her tight, she felt a fire igniting between her legs and she knew she had to stop it before things got even more complicated. So she gathered all her strength and ended what she herself had started

"I'm sorry" she whispered and pulled away from the redhead "I s-shouldn't h-have"

"Tara, please" Willow tried to touch her

"No" she stepped back "I can't…not yet" she took a deep breath

"Do you regret it?" Willow asked sadly

"No" Tara whispered, and then she came over and put her hands on Willow's shoulders leaning her forehead against the redhead's "it's just too soon" she said softly

"Okay" Willow whispered back and nodded. Tara sighed, stood straight and started to move away

"Good night, Will"

"Night Tara" as Tara closed the door Willow couldn't avoid the huge grin that broke on her face

Meanwhile, Buffy walked into the bronze, like always it was noisy in there, the music was loud and people were dancing and drinking. Walking around she spied what she was looking for, sitting at the bar Faith was draining what seemed to be her tenth shot of tequila

"Wow…so many glasses" Buffy said taking a seat next to the brunette "makes a nice sculpture"

"What you doing here B?" the brunette asked talking a little funny because of the alcohol effect

"You disappeared…we were worried"

"Define 'we'…" Faith said a little grumpy

"Well…'we' as in me, Tara, Giles, Ariel and even Anya" she finished smiling

"Gee…I'm popular" she said and gulped another shot

"Okay, that's it" Buffy said getting up "you…are…going…home" she said trying to remove the brunette from her seat

"Stop it B" Faith fought back "I'm cool…and I don't want to go home, I want to stay here" she said stubbornly

"Fine…you want to stay, then stay" Buffy pretended to give up "I'll just go home and tell Ariel that her 'hero' is up here self pitting and getting drunk…I bet she'll love it" the blond put her hands on her hips. The rogue slayer just sighed defeated

"Fine I'll go" she tried to get up but just stumbled, Buffy grabbed her

"Easy tiger…I got you" she wrapped one arm around the brunette's waist, passed Faith's arm around her neck for support and helped her walk out of there. When they arrived at the house, Faith was much better; it seemed that the cool air and the walk had distilled some of the alcohol. She was still leaning on Buffy but was much less drunk

"Here we go" Buffy said when they reach the top of the stairs

"Where are you going?" Faith asked suddenly aware of their whereabouts

"Taking you to your room?" Buffy lifted a questioning eyebrow

"No…" Faith removed her arm fast losing her balance. Buffy grabbed her and pinned her against a wall to avoid the fall "shh…too much noise" Faith said putting a finger on her own lips

"Why don't you wanna go to your room?" Buffy whispered annoyed

"Because, it's not my room anymore" the brunette answered sadly

"Oh…" Buffy put two and two together "okay, I'll tell you what…you sleep in Dawn's room tonight" Faith gave her a funny look and the blonde rolled her eyes "she's not here"

"Oh…okay" Buffy opened the door and the brunette staggered into the room. As soon as they got inside, Faith slumped in the armchair

"Oh, come on…give me a break" Buffy opened her arms in exasperation. She watched the brunette slayer fighting against her own boots and took a pity on her

"Here, let me help" she kneeled and started removing them "so, wanna talk about it?" Faith just shrugged and leaned her head back

"Not much to talk…Tara is still in love with Red…I'm the third wheel" she said bitterly

"You guys broke up?" she asked getting up

"Pretty much" Faith lifted her hands and tousled her hair groaning. Buffy got close to her and started smoothing it caressing the brunette's face in the process.

"Why are you been so nice to me?" Faith asked looking directly at her

"Why wouldn't I be?" Buffy asked softly. They locked eyes for a few seconds and Faith took Buffy's hand that was still caressing her face

"I'm sorry for being a bitch" she apologized honestly

"When, tonight?" Buffy asked smiling

"Every time" Faith whispered. Buffy's heart was thudding fast she felt herself leaning forward as if she was pulled by an invisible force; their lips were almost touching

"B, what are you doing?" Faith swallowed hard

"I guess I'm about to kiss you" she whispered letting her lips ghostly touch the others in front of her. The feeling of Buffy's warm breath tickling her lips was making it hard to think clear

"Buffy, I'm drunk and sad…and I'm vulnerable and I must say I'm pretty horny right now…" she was trying not to lose control "so I don't think this is a good idea" both women were breathing hard "I don't want to hurt you"

Buffy looked deeply into the brunette's eyes she knew she would end up hurt in this game but she couldn't avoid it. It was stronger then her

"I'll take the risk" she said and let gravity work. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, Faith pulled her to her lap and let out a throaty moan. Buffy growled softly, threading her fingers through thick dark locks, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been this aroused. Faith lifted both of them from the armchair and as they stood Buffy wrapped her leg around Faith's waist, moaned and tugged the brunette's ear to her own lips. Faith started tearing the blonde's clothes off feeling a tremor run through her body; she could feel that her legs were about to give away, so she pushed Buffy to the bed and they resumed their kissing in what would be a very passionate night.


	22. Chapter 22

Part 22

The first lights of morning invaded the room making the brunette slayer stir and reach the first levels of consciousness. She blinked a couple of times and tried to protect her eyes against the offending luminosity. As it didn't work she decided to shift her body, but found herself trapped; turning her head, she saw some blonde hair resting on her shoulder

"What the…" she looked down and saw an arm and a naked leg pinning her down to the bed. Everything started to come back: the drink, Buffy, she and Buffy

"_Shit…what have I done?" _she thought and rubbed her face. Sighing she tried to move the dead weight away from her; she gently lifted Buffy's arm and untangled their naked bodies. Quietly, she grabbed her clothes, put on her shirt and walked out of the room. She went straight to the shower and let the water wash away the traces of her hangover

"I can't drink tequila" she sighed and let the water work its miracle. Slowly, bits and pieces of the night before started popping into her head; She was drunk, but not THAT drunk, she knew exactly what she was doing and she wouldn't be a coward and blame the tequila. The question now was how she was going to face Buffy, especially because she was pretty aware that she had enjoyed it…a lot

"One hell of a night…You go B!" she smirked and started rinsing her hair

As she stepped out of the bathroom, she was still drying her hair, so she only saw the person walking in her direction when they collided

"Shit I'm sorry…I" she then saw Tara smiling at her

"Hi"

"Hey" she smiled nervously avoiding the blonde's eyes. Sensing the brunette's uneasiness, Tara decided to pry

"Are you ok?" she asked lifting a suspicious eyebrow

"Yeah…yeah, I was just…uh…showering" Faith was fidgeting in place

"I didn't see you come home last night…I was worried"

"Uh, I…er…went to" she was stalling she knew that, but the middle of the hall wasn't the best place to tell Tara what happened the night before; she was about to come up with something but she was saved by the bell. The door to Willow's room opened and the redhead came outside

"uh…morning" Willow saw Tara and Faith talking and felt a little pang in her heart, Tara on the other hand, the moment she saw Willow felt guilty wash all over her; Faith missed the looks, because she herself looked as if she was ready to bolt, and to make things a little worse the door to Dawn's room opened to reveal a very disarrayed slayer

"Uh…morning?" she greeted sheepishly avoiding looking at Faith

"Morning Buffy" Willow took a good look at the disheveled slayer, and rose one curious brow at her "did you have a rough night?"

"What? Why you saying that?" she asked almost defensively trying to straighten her shirt that was wrinkled and buttoned wrongly

"I just rolled out of bed ok? So, if you guys excuse me…I need a shower" she left trying to show a little dignity

"Is there some guy hidden in there?" Willow asked amusingly trying to pick inside the room

"Uh…I'll go change" Faith said hurriedly "I'll see you guys downstairs" Tara looked suspecting at the hushing slayer

"Was it something I said?" Willow asked not understanding the slayers' behavior

"Let's have breakfast" Tara shook her head and smiled at the redhead

As they entered in the kitchen they met Giles, Xander and Anya talking while Ariel ate her cereal.

"Good morning" Tara greeted happily

"Mama!" Ariel yelped and flew into Tara's arms

"Morning sweetie…how was the night with grandpa?" she asked kissing her daughter in the cheek

"It was delightful" she said with a straight face

"Oh, so you have a British accent now, huh?" Tara raised an eyebrow

"But of course my dear" the little girl answered playfully. Tara tickled her and she jumped down and went back to her seat to finish her cereal. The redhead watched the interaction with a huge smile plastered on her face; she then decided to approach her little girl

"Hey baby girl" she said and kneeled in front of Ariel "how are you?"

"I'm okay" she looked at Willow that was looking adorably at her

"Your mama told me that you guys talked" the little girl nodded "and that you know that…"

"You're my mommy?" it was the redhead's turn to nod "I know"

"And are you ok with that?" the little blonde nodded frantically and returned the huge smile on Willow's face with one of her own. Willow opened her arms and the little girl flew inside giving her mommy a very tight hug bringing tears to both of her parents' eyes

"I love you baby girl" Willow declared choking with emotion

A couple of minutes later, emotions were much calmer and Faith chose this moment to walk in

"morning" her hair was drier, she had changed into jeans and sweat shirt but her eyes were a little red giving away the amount of tequila she ingested the night before "I need coffee…strong"

"Somebody had a busy night" Xander joked while pouring a cup of coffee for the brunette

"Tell me about it…thanks" she took the cup, sip it and looked at a very upset little girl "hey kiddo, what's with the frown?" not getting an answer from the kid she got closer and sat beside her

"Hey…what's wrong?" she asked sweetly putting down her cup

"You don't love me anymore" she answered sadly

"What? Why are you saying this?"

"Because I waited you last night and the night before…and you didn't come to tuck me in" she said pouting "don't you love me anymore because I have Willow now?"

"Hey, no…come on" Faith's heart started hammering violently in her chest and she looked agitatedly from Tara to Willow and back to Ariel "look at me honey" the little blonde lifted he head and looked at the slayer "have I ever lied to you?" the girl shook her head timidly "so listen to me…I love you…you are my baby girl, and nothing or anybody will ever change that, I will never, ever stop loving you, got it?" a little blonde head nodded vehemently and she gave the slayer a big grin. Faith relaxed visibly and hugged the girl giving her a sweet kiss in the head. Willow and Tara exchanged glances during the interaction with different emotions running through their system. This time was Buffy's turn to walk in; she stopped at the entrance feeling the emotional charge in the atmosphere

"Uh…morning again?" she said furrowing her brows

"Morning, Buffy…coffee?" Xander offered

"Yeah, please" she started to move in the kitchen but froze when she saw Anya getting close as if studying her

"What?" she asked annoyed

"YOU HAD SEX!" Anya shouted

"WHAT…I did…not" Buffy shot defensively

"I knew it" Willow pointed smiling at her best friend "you did…you had sex" the redhead teased her friend

"Oh, shut up" Buffy said and dropped into a seat. Everybody was laughing at the blushing slayer, except Tara who had something bugging her, her brows were furrowed, and her eyes narrowed watching Faith closely. The brunette on the other hand seemed to be deep concentrated in her coffee, the moment she lifted her head she met Tara's stare, she looked away immediately making the blonde even more suspicious; sighing she decided to face the situation and get it over with

"Hey…uh…T…can I see you for a second?" she asked sheepishly; the request made Willow's smile drop and Buffy choke with her coffee

"Yeah, sure" Tara answered thoughtfully. As the two of them started walking out of the kitchen the house began to shake

"What the hell?"

"What's going on?

"Mama!"

"Ariel" Tara grabbed her daughter and went to living room with the others

"What's causing this?"

"Must be the witches…I guess they're trying to have our attention" Giles presumed

"Guess what? They got it…let's go" the slayers and Xander run out of the house

"Girls stay here…put the spell back on" Giles advised and ran out to meet the others. Outside, they looked around but didn't see anything

"There" Xander pointed to a group of retreating women. They started chasing them

"It's day light…why are they attacking us in day light?" Buffy asked

"Because they're not vampires, they don't care about the sun" Faith answered

"Oh yeah" they continued running until they reach the park; the witches stopped suddenly and turned facing them

"Uh-oh" Xander's eyes bulged

Back in the house Tara, Anya, Ariel and Willow were together in the living room

"Okay I'll go get the things for the spell" Willow announced and started climbing the stairs

"I don't think that will be necessary" they all turned to see Andreas standing there with an evil sneer "hello my darling, it's a pleasure to finally meet you" he looked directly at Willow

The three women froze in place; Tara stepped in front of Ariel protectively

"**_Extundo"_** Willow raised her hand at Andreas and an unseen force pushed him; he bounced a little but stayed in place

"You gonna have to do better than that" he said still smirking

"Can be arranged" Tara moved forward and kicked him in the stomach he bent and stepped back a little

"Anya get Ariel out of here" Willow shouted trying to get her daughter out of danger; the ex vengeance demon grabbed the little girl and hurried to the door but before she reached outside somebody punched her in the face sending her inside again

"MAMA" Ariel screamed as a dark witch grabbed her

"ARIEL" Tara tried to run in her daughter's direction but Andreas grabbed her hair and sent her flying to the couch. Willow saw that and felt an anger building inside her

"Don't touch her" She gave him a determined glare

"Oh, I like that fire" he smiled evilly at her

At the park the rest of the gang were getting ready for a fight when Xander realized something

"Wait…there used to be three of them" he observed "where is the other one?"

"It's a decoy" Giles said alarmed understanding the situation

"The house…we have to go back" Buffy said taking, along with Faith, a mad dash back to the house

Inside the house Willow and Andreas were still glaring at each other

"Now let's see if we can reach an agreement" he looked at the witch holding Ariel "I have the girl, but I want you…what can we do about it?"

"Let her go" she said to the witch very quietly and with authority

"Or what?" the witch asked defiantly, before Willow could answer Anya came from behind and jumped on the witch's back; she loosened her grasp and Ariel flew from her arms running at Tara's direction. Andreas moved forward and tried to grab the girl but Willow lifted both hands

"**_Congelo_**" she froze him, but her eyes went black and she looked drained.

The witch shoved Anya against a wall and raised her hand unfreezing the demon. Andreas tried to reach Ariel again, but this time Tara came forward and pushed Ariel away from him, but didn't have time to move away herself, so he grabbed her

"NO" Willow tried to advance but stopped cold when he put a dagger at the blonde's neck

"Now…let's talk"


	23. Chapter 23

_Hi Guys,_

_Let me know what you think…_

_WA24_

Part 23

The sight of Andreas holding a knife at Tara's neck made Willow blood run cold. She scanned the room quickly and saw Anya lying on the floor wincing in pain; she saw her daughter hiding behind the couch and prayed for the Goddess to protect her little girl; her eyes then met Tara's, she saw genuine fear in there

"Don't hurt her" she pled terrified

"I don't want to" he said cynically "but let's see what you can do to prevent that"

"I'll do anything" she said honestly

"Willow, don't" Tara tried to move but he held her still and pressed the dagger more roughly

"Shut up or I'll slice your pretty throat" he hissed at her ear

"Don't…please" Willow took some steps forward her body was shaking, but her voice was firm "tell me what you want"

"I want YOU…of course" he had a satisfied smirk on his face "I want you to be my Queen" Willow locked eyes with Tara for a second and could see how frightened she was, and in that moment she knew she would do anything to save her family

"I'll go…you let her go and I'll come with you…peacefully" she gave him her word

"Willow" Tara whispered softly, tears were streaming freely down her face; she had to do something, she couldn't let him take Willow. She tried talking telepathically with her daughter, but the little girl was too scared and some how had blocked her. She looked back at Willow that was now getting close to them

"_Will, don't do this"_ she mentally told the redhead _"we can find a way out"_

"_shh, it's okay baby…everything is gonna be fine"_ she answered silently and continued moving towards them

"Come to me my dear" he tried to lock eyes with the redhead but she kept her stare at Tara. When she was an arm length from them, she stopped and turned to look at her daughter; she gave a sweet smile to the little blonde and turned to face Tara again

"I love you" she stated simply.

The more Tara struggled against his grip the tighter he held her. He finally made eye contact with Willow; the moment she looked into his eyes, she could feel something like a force pulling her to him

"That's it my dear…come to me…let's fulfill our destiny together" he was so concentrate in luring Willow to him that he forgot about Tara for a second; taking advantage of his distraction she stepped on his toes and elbowed his stomach; he let go of her and she ran forward putting herself between her daughter and the dark witch that was advancing in their direction. All of a sudden, the front door burst open and two frantic slayers ran inside

"Is this a private party or can anyone get in?" Buffy said flipping and sending the witch away from Tara and Ariel

"You are too late slayers…she's with me now" he declared putting a hand on the redhead's shoulders

"Willow!" Buffy called but got no response from her friend who seemed to be in some sort of a trance

"What did you do to her?" Faith asked narrowing her eyes

"I'm helping Fate take its course" he laughed and shimmered out taking Willow with him

"NO" Tara charged forward but they faded away before her eyes, the dark witch sneered and vanished too

Xander and Giles walked in right after their disappearance

"Anya" Xander shouted; he was a little out of breath from the running "are you ok?" he asked while helping her to her feet

"What just happened?" Giles asked also panting

"Demon took Willow" Buffy informed

"Bloody hell" he exclaimed leaning on the couch "are you girls alright?"

"I have a migraine" Anya said rubbing the back of her head "that bitch hit me hard"

"What do we do now?" Xander asked leading his wife to the couch

"We find her" Tara answered coldly from the couch where she was cradling a terrified little girl

"What do you suggest?" Giles questioned

"I can scry for her" Tara looked at the others' blank expressions and started explaining "Willow is a witch…I'm a witch too…with a map and a crystal I might be able to locate her…I just have to concentrate and use something filled with her energy…like a piece of clothing or something"

"What about that Tinkerbell thing you did once we got lost in the woods?" Xander asked referring to the day they had brought Buffy back to life

"That wouldn't work" Tara replied knowing what he was talking about "that spell is for guidance…to h-help us find our way back to each other if we get l-lost"

"Isn't she kinda…lost right now?" Buffy asked shrugging

"No…she's under his spell, you saw it…he hypnotized her" she said rubbing her face nervously "she wouldn't respond to it"

"Alright…I'm out of here" Buffy declared moving to the door

"Where are you going?" Faith asked to the blonde

"Search…I can't just stay here while my best friend is God knows where with a psycho demon who wants to rule the world"

"Buffy, how do you plan on finding them…they could be anywhere in the world" Anya tried to reasoned the slayer

"Nah…I'm pretty sure they're still in Sunnydale…scum love this city" she walked out of the door leaving a group of distressed people behind

Somewhere still in Sunnydale, two dark figures shimmered into a hiding place bringing along with them a disoriented redhead

"Wow, what happened?" Willow asked feeling a little of head rush

"Oh, I apologize…this trip can be a bit…rough when you take it for the first time" the demon smirked at her "welcome to my humble lair" he made a little courtesy

She looked around, her breathing became a little elaborate as her disorientation started to fade, and memories of the earlier events started to come back to her

"Where am I? Where is my family?" she asked agitatedly

"They're back in the house, unfortunately we had to rush out of there…the slayers were planning on ruining our party" Willow lifted a distrustful eyebrow at him and checked her surrounds again; she looked daunted

"Please forgive my manners" he said getting close to her "my name is Andreas…you're Willow, right?" he said producing a cold smile at her "I must say it's an honor to finally have you here…I've been searching for you for a long time"

"What do you want with me?" she asked warily

"I want to bring you to my side…to help me conquer the world" he explained simply

"Not gonna happen" she crossed her arms defiantly "I'll never help you…never"

"Oh…but I'm planning on convincing you" he said smirking

"Oh yeah? How?" she lifted her chin in a challenge motion

"By showing you how good evil can be"

"Evil, good?" she snorted at him

"Yes…evil can be really good…and I know you know that" he looked evilly at her making her swallow dryly "I know you've already tasted the dark side and it can be…intoxicating" he started walking seductively towards her. She unfolded her arms felling uncomfortable; he moved behind her and whispered in her ear "don't you miss it?"

"No, I'm not evil" she stated firmly, although she could feel her resistance beginning to weaken inside

"No, you're not evil but…" He got right up behind Willow, put his hands on her shoulders and moved them down to her waist "but you have darkness inside of you" he moved his hands around her body not actually touching her "I can feel it emanating from your skin"

Willow began to feel lightheaded; she closed her eyes and threw her head back leaning on his shoulders. Andreas put his hand on her forehead and images of her dark magic life started coming rushing to her head; she saw the faces of Glory, Amy, Rack…his face made her gasp, she was panting; Andreas started chanting under his breath and suddenly magic sparks and a blue light swirled around his hand right into her head. She drew in a sharply breath and collapsed, he cradled her in his arms and grinned evilly

"It's done"

After three hours of a fruitless hunt, Buffy came back home empty handed

"I hope you guys had a better luck than I did" she said walking to the fridge

"If by better luck you mean Tara's arm almost falling off of its socket from holding that crystal, then yeah…we were lucky" Anya replied sarcastically faking an enthusiasm

"Where is she now?" Buffy asked grabbing a soda

"Tara?" Faith asked receiving a nod from the blonde "upstairs…she's resting a little with Ariel"

"How's the kid doing?"

"She's a great kid, but is scared as hell" the brunette explained "it took me about an hour to calm her down and put her to sleep"

"Ahhhhh…I can't believe he took her" Buffy threw her arms exasperatedly

"You didn't find any clue?" Giles questioned

"Nope…nothing" she sighed "but I KNOW they're still here…I can feel it" her features became somber "we have to find her fast Giles…I don't know how long Willow can resist"

"What do you mean?" Faith furrowed her brows not understanding the dismal tone on the slayer's voice "Red is strong; she wouldn't succumb to temptation, would she?"

"The problem is that Willow has an addictive personality" Buffy explained "and she'd already tasted dark magic before"

"It's like giving an alcoholic his first sip" Xander said

"You mean if he gives her a sample…"

"She might crave for more" he finished Faith's sentence. They all fell silent with serious expressions on their faces

"Evil can be very…tempting" Giles stated solemnly

Suddenly they heard a large thud coming from upstairs

"Tara" they rushed up and Faith kicked the door open. She ran inside and found Tara lying on the floor; she went to her side and kneeled next to the blonde noticing a bloodstain on the witch's forehead

"She's bleeding" she said lifting Tara's head "Tara, sweetie?" she called tapping her face softly "come on, baby open your eyes"

"Where's Ariel?" Giles asked after checking the entire room

"Willow" Tara muttered moving her head

"What?" Faith asked trying to get some coherence from the blonde "honey, what happened?"

"Willow…she…took Ariel" all five people in the room exchanged worried glances knowing that things had gone from bad to worse.


	24. Chapter 24

Part 24

"What did she say?" Xander asked praying that he had heard it wrongly

"I have…to…f-find them" Tara winced and tried to get up

"Easy Tare…you're bleeding" Faith held her down to her lap

"Tara, can you tell us what happened here?" Giles asked kneeling next to the blonde "where is Ariel?" Tara made another attempt to get up and Faith helped her by sitting behind the blonde and pulling her to her chest

"Willow, she came…she was…dark" her breath was heavy "she took Ariel and disappeared…oh" she tried to move again and flinched, her head was killing her "I have to…"

"You have to stay still…you hit your head pretty hard" Faith kept her in place and ran her hand over the wound on the blonde's forehead

"She hit me…" Tara said before blackness engulfed her again

"Tara"

"We have to take her to a hospital" Giles said worried about his daughter

"Hold on…everybody wait just a minute" Xander walked to the middle of the room in order to get everybody's attention "are you telling me that my best friend became an evil bitch, came here, threw the woman she loves against a wall and kidnapped her own child?" he opened his arms in a dramatic motion

"It looks like it" Giles said emotionlessly

"You don't look so surprised" Anya lifted an intrigued eyebrow

"Can't say I am" he replied seriously

"Huh? You're expecting Willow to do this?" Buffy said getting angry. The former watcher sighed and stood up

"From time to time Ariel has these…foreseen dreams" he removed his glasses and started pacing "the night we went after the witches, the demon bar fight" he clarified and Buffy nodded "Tara told me that that night Ariel had dreamed about…this" he motioned to Tara lying unconscious on the floor "she was concerned that it might become…real" he concluded tugging his glasses back on

"Why didn't you tell us?" Faith sounded a little hurt

"We were going to, but things got hectic"

"Okay…we need be practical right now" Buffy said taking command again "first we need to take Tara to a hospital then we have to find a way to locate Willow" they all nodded and started moving

A couple of hours later at Sunnydale's ER, Giles was standing beside Tara who was lying in a bed dressed in a hospital gown

"How are you feeling my child?" he asked in a fatherly tone while soothing the blonde's hair

"You have to take me out of here Giles" she pled tearfully "I can't be stuck in a hospital bed while I have no idea where my daughter is"

"Take it easy Tara" he tried to calm her down "we are waiting for the test results…you could have had a serious concussion"

"I need to see the prophecy" Tara burst out of the blue "I'm pretty sure the answer is there somewhere"

"What do you mean?" Giles asked uncertain

"Giles, I've read it a thousand times…but I'm missing something" she sighed nervously "Willow said that we need a spell, a powerful spell to destroy this demon" she furrowed her brows "the answer is there…it's in the prophecy"

"Sweetie, I think you're reacting in the heat of the moment" he said softly while stroking her hair "I don't think you're thinking clear right now"

"Don't patronize me, Giles" she snapped and took a calming breath "think Giles…why is he after Willow?"

"Because she is likely to be the witch from the prophecy" he answered carefully

"She IS the witch…now, why did he take Ariel?" she continued trying to prove her point

"Because she's the child not conceived by man" he said letting the information sink and realizing what she meant "Dear Lord!"

"They're gonna kill her Giles" Tara said in the verge of tears "he knows she's the one that can stop him…I just have to find out how" she concluded sternly

At the hospital lounge Buffy was sat on one of the chairs, elbows resting on her knees with her head bent forward looking dejected, she was feeling powerless and she hated that; she heard someone approaching and lifted her eyes to see Faith walking towards her holding a cup of coffee in her hand

"Here" the brunette said handing the coffee to the blonde

"Thanks" she said taking the cup from Faith "any word from the doctor?"

"Nope" she shook her head and sat next to Buffy "but Giles said she's awake and fully conscious"

"That's good…at least some good news today" she replied despondently

"How are you Buffy?" Faith asked sensing her friend's down mood

"Willow has always been there for me since high school" she sighed and looked back to her feet "she had saved my life more than once…she has even given it back to me" she gave a light snort "I need to do something fast, she would never forgive herself if something happened to Ariel"

"Do you think she could…"

"She's not herself right now…we can't hold her responsible for anything" she turned and locked eyes with the brunette slayer "I can't let her harm her daughter"

"We won't" Faith stated touching Buffy's hand "we'll find them and save the day like good heroes" she gave the blonde a reassuring smile

"Thanks" Buffy said still holding their gaze "look, about last night…I'd like to apologize for…"

"Don't" Faith interrupted her and gave her hand a squeeze "it takes two to tango, B…I wasn't that drunk"

"Are you gonna tell Tara?" she kept looking at Faith's eyes

"Yeah" Faith answered firmly "I was going to this morning, right before all hell broke loose…but now is not the time" they both nodded in agreement knowing that there were more important things at stake at the moment

Several hours later they were back at the house; the doctors had released Tara mostly because she had threatened to leave anyway, she had a few stitches on her forehead and Giles had promised the doctors to keep her under observation. She was now engrossed in her studies; she was fully focused on the prophecy, she was determined to find out what they were missing about it

"How long has she been there?" Xander asked

"Two hours now" Buffy answered simply

"Do you think she'll find anything?"

"I hope so" Giles replied joining them "that's our best bet"

Meanwhile in the demon's lair he was exultant

"This is better than great…it's fantastic" he had a huge grin stamped on his face "everything is happening as it should"

"What about the child?" one of the witches asked seriously "are you going to kill her?"

"No…I'll give that honor to my queen" he said turning his head and looking at Willow who seemed to be lost in her own world "it's going to be the final part of her transformation"

"And what are you waiting for? The slayers are gonna be knocking at our door any minute now" she said full of concern

"She's not ready yet" he barked at her "but she will be soon…and as for the slayers, it's your job to take care of them…keep them away, I need time to make her kill her own child" he finished glaring evilly at a very frightened little girl

Back at the Summers' residency

"I can't stay put anymore" Buffy burst out jumping from her seat "I need to slay something"

"Buffy, we need to…" Giles was trying to coax the slayer but stopped as he saw Tara walking into the room; she looked grave, her face bore a somberness Giles had never seen before in Tara's always angelic face

"Tara, what is it?" everybody turned to look at her

"I know how to stop him" she declared simply

"You do? That's great" Buffy said not understanding why the seriousness on the blonde's face

"What do we have to do?" Xander asked expectantly

"I have to die"


	25. Chapter 25

Part 25

"You what?" they asked almost in unison

"Giles, did you see the x-ray? Cause I'm pretty sure she hit her head stronger than we thought" Buffy said seriously

"Tara, what in God's name are you talking about?" he asked in a shocked tone

"I'm saying that the only way to stop this demon is by me dying" she replied calmly

"You have got to be joking" Faith said almost shouting "or completely out of your mind"

"Faith calm down…let me explain" Tara tried to ease the brunette

"Calm down?" she opened her arms exaggeratedly "you want me to calm down? Tara, you walk in here and say 'gee guys, I'm gonna have to die to stop this psycho' and expect me to be calm?"

"That's the way it has to be" the blonde said in a low voice

"BULLSHIT…I'm not buying this crap" Faith could feel her temper sparking

"Tara I gotta say I'm with Faith on this one" Xander said in a much calmer tone "this is senseless"

"Guys…" Tara tried to calm her friends

"How did you reach this…conclusion" Anya seemed to be the only one to maintain the rationality

"It's written in the prophecy" Tara answered waving the paper in her hand "we just missed it before"

"Let me see that" Buffy said snatching the paper from Tara's hand and examining it carefully "nope…I don't see anything in here that says you have to put a knife through you heart" Tara smiled sweetly and walked close to the slayer

"It's here: _Only in the face of death will the witch of the light find salvation, and harmony be set in motion" _she read it aloud

"Still don't get it" Xander said shaking his head. The blonde released a big sigh and motioned for them to sit

"Ariel is the key" she started simply "a child not conceived by man…it's says here that '_Evil will take over until a time that a child not begotten by man starts shining.' _…well, Ariel is very powerful, but she's only four…she doesn't know how to control her powers yet; the only way for her to access them is through me…my soul needs to get inside her body to make her strong enough to make the spell work"

"And the only way to remove your soul from your body…is dying" Giles followed her line of thought

"Exactly" she gave him a dull smile

"No, no way" Faith jumped from her seat "I can't believe you're encouraging her Giles"

"I'm not, Faith" he shot defensively "I'm just trying to understand…besides" he turned to face Tara "I'm pretty sure she has something under her sleeve" he said knowing that Tara was a very wise woman

"As a matter of fact" she lifted her eyes and met her friends' stare "there may be a chance"

"What do you mean?" Anya asked lifting a curious eyebrow at the blonde

"It says here that I have to die…it doesn't say anything about staying dead" she smiled wickedly

"I'm lost…are you planning on some kind of…resurrection" Xander asked feeling totally confused

"Sort of" she sighed and stood up "Willow left her laptop connected to the council's library…I browsed it and came across a very interesting thing"

"What?" they were very interested on what she had to say

"A potion…a very powerful potion made with a combination of herbs and other things" she waved her hands

"And what does it do?" Anya asked inquisitively

"It stops the heart…immediately" she declared in an almost nonchalant tone

"And that's a good thing because…" Buffy was trying to figure where this was going

"Because whoever takes it can be revived by injecting the antidote straight to the heart, in a single shot"

"The antidote?" Anya questioned again

"Uh-huh…another combination of…different stuff" she explained quickly

"You're planning on cheating death…that's brilliant" Giles complimented proudly

"Yeah, it is if I don't end up in a wheelchair or dying for real" she said nervously

"Why? What's the catch?" Buffy asked sensing there was something the blonde wasn't telling them

"The catch is…I have to be revived within fifteen minutes to avoid brain damage"

"Whoa, fifteen minutes?" Xander asked and she nodded

"Tara, that's not enough time" Faith tried to reason the blonde

"She's right… that's a pretty big catch" Giles backed up the slayer

"I know…but when push comes to shove, desperate measures are needed" she answered with a resolved face "I'll do what I have to do"

"Okay, let me see if I get this straight" Buffy moved to the middle of the room "we have to get in there, distract dark Willow, fight the witch-bitches, rescue Ariel, kill Tara, put the kid in front of the demon, let Tara's soul get inside Ariel, wait for her to say the spell and vanquish the demon, save everybody and bring Tara back to life in less than fifteen minutes?" she raised a questioned eyebrow to the blonde

"Pretty much" she nodded positively

"Uh, okay…" she shrugged nonchalantly "piece of cake"

"This is gonna be anything but easy Buffy" Giles said cleaning his glasses "we won't have time to prepare"

"He's right…we're running out of time" Tara said seriously "the longer he stays with Willow the darker she'll get"

"Do you think she can hurt Ariel?" Faith asked worriedly

"I hope not…but we'll need help"

"Will we do?" they turned to the door to see Kennedy standing there next to Dawn

"Kennedy?" Xander asked a little surprised to see the potential

"Hey I heard things got bad…can I help?" she asked sheepishly

"Of course…we need all the help we can find" Tara smiled at the brunette "how did you know?"

"I ran into Dawn in college…she told me" she answered nodding at Buffy's sister

"I called Dawn" Anya said lifting her arm "I thought the brat could help"

"Good thinking" Xander complimented his wife

"What do we do now?" Faith asked in a business tone

"Here's the plan" Tara began to explain how things were going to function

A couple of hours later, Faith walked inside the magic box and saw Tara standing at a table; it was full of herbs and ingredients, she was filling up a vial and a syringe

"Are these the potions?" she asked approaching the blonde

"Yeah…this one" she lifted the vial "I drink, and this" she showed the syringe "must be injected straight to my heart"

"Cool" she faked excitement; the blonde gave her a weak smile

"Is everybody ready?" she asked putting away the ingredients

"As ready as we will be" she released a big sigh "I'm scared Tare…I think we are going too far this time"

"There's no other option…it's the only way to save them" Faith nodded and started pacing

"I know…I just don't like the idea of you risking your life like that" she ran a hand through her hair. Tara put the things down and got close to the brunette

"We are all risking our lives here" she held Faith's hand in hers "but I need you by my side…I can't do this alone" she caressed the brunette's face "please"

"I'm here for you, always" Faith said and they hugged affectionately. The smell of Tara was inebriant, Faith could feel tears forming behind her eyes; she loved this woman and would never hurt her, so she decided to come clean

"uh, Tara" she broke their embrace "I know this isn't the best moment, but there's something I have to tell you" she was a little embarrassed and Tara furrowed her brows wondering why the rogue slayer looked so uncomfortable

"What is it?" she asked curiously; Faith stepped away from her and rubbed her face

"I…uh…last night I…" she scratched her head and sighed dramatically "what the hell…I slept with Buffy" she blurted out

"Oh…" Tara's eyes opened wide she was taken aback by the revelation "I…uh…don't know what to say" she was a little disoriented

"I was gonna tell you this morning but…" she sighed "look T, I didn't plan it...and it certain wasn't…I didn't mean to hurt you, I was drunk and…uh…shit" she put both hands through her hair. Tara closed her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek

"Faith, I…must confess something too" she said sheepishly; the brunette raised an intrigued eyebrow "I kissed Willow last night" she said barely above a whisper; it was Faith's turn to feel her guts turn

"Whoa…I didn't see that coming" they both fell into an awkward silence for a few seconds avoiding looking at each other

"Would I be completely hypocrite if I said that I want to punch a wall?" Faith said smiling self-consciously. Tara closed her eyes and shook her head as if not believing everything that was happening

"What a mess!" she sighed and rubbed her face "how did things got so out of track?"

"Don't know…fate?" Faith asked shrugging

"What do we do now?" Tara asked meeting the brunette's eyes

"We save your daughter and get this chaos over with" she came over to the blonde without breaking their gaze "then we can move on with our lives" the tears that were threatening to spill from Tara's eyes began to roll down her face

"So this is really over, uh?" she asked sadly

"I guess so" Faith whispered and moved forward; she put a hand on Tara's nape, pulled her head down and kissed her on the forehead; she then lowered her lips and pressed them gently but firmly against Tara's soft ones; the blonde put her arms around the slayer's waist and pulled her closer; they kissed for the last time. The kiss wasn't a passionate one; it was more like a goodbye kiss and it lasted a few seconds

"Let's save your family" Faith said breaking their embrace and hand in hand they walked out to meet the others


	26. Chapter 26

Part 26

Faith and Tara met the others in the house; they were gathering in the living room, Giles, Xander, Buffy and Kennedy were picking up some weapons from the chest while Anya and Dawn where trying to scry for Willow using a map on the table

"Hey…it's all set?" Tara asked entering the room

"Yes…are the potions ready?" Giles enquired

"Yeah…here hold this one" she said handing him the syringe

"Is this…?" he asked taking it from her

"Yes…that's the antidote" she looked directly at his teary eyes "bring me back Giles"

"I promise" he hugged her affectionately "I love you my child"

"Uh…okay, I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but…" everybody turned to look at the ex vengeance demon "we have a problem"

"What is it?" Buffy asked unsheathing a sword

"How are we gonna find them?" she pointed to the map on the table

"With this" Tara came forward holding a vial

"Is that blood?" Dawn asked watching Tara opening the little bottle

"Yes…it's Ariel's blood" she answered covering the crystal with the red liquid "I may not be able to locate Willow, but I sure can find my child" Tara scried and the crystal pointed to a place on the map

"Gotcha"

Demon's lair

"Come my queen" he extended his hand and Willow took it "how are you feeling? Still getting a buzz from your earlier trip?" Willow didn't react just stood there looking blankly "not much of a talker, huh?" she still didn't react "I'll tell you what" he reached up and put some of her hair behind her ear "what if I say I can guarantee you a life time of dark juices" she looked up to him "interested huh? Good…now there's just this small…detail" he circled her "something really small that needs to be taken care of before you have all dark magic you need" he snapped his fingers and a witch came over carrying a screaming and kicking little girl. She stopped in front of them and deposited Ariel on the floor; the girl stood up and looked terrified at Willow

"You must kill her" he whispered in her ear

Outside of what seemed to be a cave entrance the gang stood examining the place

"Are you sure this the right place?" Buffy asked

"Positive" Tara answered sternly. She then turned and looked at the others

"Okay…you guys ready?" they all nodded "you all know what you have to do, right?"

"Yeah…we get in, kill the demon, save everybody and get out alive and kicking" Faith summed up and then looked at Tara specifically "all of us"

"Remember, we only have fifteen minutes" Giles reminded them

"Alright…let's rock'n'roll" Buffy said swinging the sword over her shoulder

Meanwhile

"What are you waiting for?" the demon hissed through clenched teeth "kill her"

The moment Willow looked at Ariel her eyes went back to normal and she cocked her head to side as if recognizing the child

"Kill her" he repeated angrily

"Mommy?" Ariel cried hopping Willow would wake up

"She won't do it" the dark witch declared

"It looks that blood is thicker than you thought, huh?" they looked up to see Xander standing there with a mocking grin

"Get him" Andreas shouted and the witches came forward

"Hey bitches, over here" Buffy yelled and the witches turned to see the slayers and Kennedy standing there ready for a fight. They ran towards the girls forgetting about Xander

"Hey Willyster…nice hair, who dyed it?" she diverted her attention from Ariel to him

"Kill him" Andreas told her angrily

"Hey handsome, over here" Andreas turned and saw Anya smirking "haven't we met before?" he sent a bolt of magic at her, she ducked and it hit the wall; she ran and hid behind a rock

Meanwhile Tara, Giles and Dawn sneaked inside crawling quietly behind another big rock

"Alright Dawn, go now while his distracted" Tara coached the youngest Summers. Dawn crouched and moved fast towards Ariel

"Hey squirt" she whispered; the little girl turned and threw herself into the young woman's arms "shh…don't cry sweetie" Dawn soothed the girl "I have a message from your mama…she needs you to be very brave, can you do it?" the little blonde sniffed and nodded "good…now that's what you have to do"

The moment Dawn moved to meet Ariel, Tara took the vial from her pocket

"Are you ready?" Giles asked seriously

"No…but I don't think I have choice now, do I?" she smiled weakly

"I'll be right here…everything will be okay" he assured her; she opened the vial, drank the potion and collapsed immediately, Giles grabbed her and laid her lifeless body to the floor gently; Tara's soul left her body

The slayers and Kennedy were busy fighting a witch each. Faith leaped up and kicked her witch in the face; the witch arched backward and then snapped forward; the slayer kneed her in the chin and punched her face sending her to the floor

Another witch punched Kennedy in the face and she quickly retaliated with a left hook-spinning backhand combination, the witch tried a sided axe kick but Kennedy blocked that and punched her across the face.

Buffy was using a sword to fight the other witch, but she grabbed the slayer's arm and disarmed her with a kick; she shoved Buffy backwards, and then moved towards the slayer and slammed her head against a wall; she was about to strike her when Faith saw it and charged at them grabbing the witch's neck from behind. The dark witch broke the brunette's grasp and kicked her stomach making Faith double over in pain. The first witch walked to them carrying Buffy's sword and stroke Faith

Buffy looked up to see that the witch had stabbed Faith with a sword, piercing her abdomen. The brunette stumbled forward and collapsed to the ground, face-first.

"NO"

Enraged at seeing that, Buffy rushed at the witches; she fought them with renewed strength, avoiding their punches, she kicked one of them so hard that the witch was sent flying against a wall lying there unconscious. The witch that was fighting Kennedy launched herself at the slayer who swung and backhanded her across the face, she them kicked the witch's stomach causing her to bend down grunting in pain. The witch that stabbed Faith came forward and punched Buffy but she grabbed her arm and heaved her over onto her back to the floor. She quickly sat across the witch's waist and started slamming her fist into her face. Faith winced and managed to roll over and lie on her back, Kennedy went to her side, pulled her head to her lap and tried to stop the bleeding by pressing the wound; the brunette slayer opened her eyes and saw Buffy straddling the witch and hitting her mercilessly

"B, stop" she spoke weakly and coughed "you're…gonna…kill her" she was struggling to breath

"Buffy, she's right" Giles yelled when he saw the commotion "you can't kill her…she's human" that seemed to do the trick; she stopped in middle action and shook her head as if coming to her senses; she got off the witch and move close to Faith

Xander was still trying to hold Willow's attention

"So, Will…you're not gonna really shoot me, are you?" she lifted her hand and sent a bolt of energy in his direction, he dived and it hit a rock behind him

"Holly crap!" he said covering his head with both hands

"Stop it" Andreas commanded her "they are trying to drain you…and divert our attention" he turned and saw Ariel standing in front of them with her eyes closed

"What's going on?" he asked sensing the threat

Ariel opened her eyes and they where shinning brightly

While the gang was distracting Willow and Andreas, Tara's soul had floated inside Ariel's body

"_Hey, baby girl" _

"_Hi mama"_

"_Are you ready?"_

"_Yes"_

"_Good…you just have to say the words inside your head, ok?"_

"_Okay"_

And together they started reciting aloud

"**_We call upon the ultimate power, Hear now the witches of light, the oldest Goddess we invoke here; may this demon no longer dwell, may this evil no longer resist. Return to dark; Evil, be gone. Interfectum Malum"_**

A bright white light flashed out of Ariel's outstretched palms with concentrated intensity like a laser and hit Andreas right on the chest; it crossed him from side to side; He yelled and caused a big explosion sending everyone to the floor.

Giles recovered quickly, shook his head and crawled fast to Tara's body; he reached inside his pocket and took the syringe; with one hand he lift Tara's head, he removed the cover with his mouth and with one fast move he shot the potion into the blonde's heart. She gasped and fell back unconscious in his arms

"Tara" he shook her frantically and used his fingers to check her pulse point

Meanwhile the cave started shaking and rocks began to slide from the ceiling

"The place is crashing" Xander shouted "we have to get out of here"

Giles lifted his head and scanned the place quickly. He saw Kennedy holding Faith's head in her lap while Buffy tried frantically to contain the bleeding; he saw Dawn holding Ariel close to her chest while Xander tried to wake a motionless Willow, her hair had gone back to red; he also saw Anya helping the witches who seemed to be back to their normal selves and looked a little disoriented

"Let's get out of here" he yelled and lifted Tara's body in his arms. Xander carried Willow and Dawn, Ariel; Anya helped the witches out while Buffy and Kennedy lifted Faith to her feet, and carried her out, one supporting each of her arms.

The moment they stepped outside the place crashed forming a big cloud of dust behind them. They stopped running and some of the fell down coughing heavily

"Faith needs to go to the hospital" Buffy said agitatedly

"Here…I'll drive" Xander offered depositing a passed out Willow gently on the floor and then rushed to open the car door so Kennedy and Buffy could carry Faith inside

"What just happened?" one of the ex dark witches asked feeling confused

"You became evil bitches and tried to kill us" Anya said nonchalantly enjoying the look of shock and horror on the girls bruised faces

"Giles" Dawn said coming closer and handing Ariel to him "is Tara…?"

"She's alive…and breathing" he kissed the little girl's head "both of them are" he said nodding to Tara and Willow lying unconscious side by side on the floor

"Then, why are they not waking, grandpa?" the child asked in a small voice

"I don't know sweetie…I really don't" he replied in a very worried tone

_Next chapter, Conclusion…_


	27. Chapter 27

Part 27

Willow opened her eyes and stood up; she was alone in a strange place; she spun around and saw only darkness; she felt trapped in an empty room

"Hello…anybody here?" she shouted and heard her own eco "Hello" she tried again "can anyone hear me?" she still got no answer, so she started walking; the place had no walls, no doors, no ceiling, and although it was dark, she could see clearly "Hello!" her breath was becoming elaborated "Buffy, Xander, Tara…please" she began to cry, she could hear the panic in her own voice "Tara" she cried softly

"Willow?" her head snapped to attention, was she imagining things? Was that…

"Willow?" she head it again

"Tara?" she shouted "Tara, where are you?" she turned around and saw Tara far off, walking towards her; Tara faded out and reappeared closer _"am I dreaming?"_

"Tara?" they were now standing close facing each other "is it really you?" the redhead asked hopefully. The blonde nodded tearfully

"Yes" she whispered and the redhead launched herself forward into the blonde's arms. Willow kissed Tara all over her face, and then they hugged and smiled happily.

"I was so scared" Willow cried in Tara's ear

"shh, baby…I'm here now" she smoothed the red locks "we're together now" she whispered, broke the embrace, looked deeply into the green eyes and kissed the woman she loved

Three hours after the battle, Xander walked back in the house

"Hey"

"Xander" Anya ran to meet her husband, he kissed her softly

"Hey sugar…you ok?" he asked tenderly

"Yes…I'm filling the girls in about what happened since they were kidnapped" they entered the living room and saw the former dark witches sitting there having tea

"These are Helena, Rebecca and Sonya" she introduced the girls who greeted him shyly feeling a little embarrassed after what Anya had told them

"This is Xander, he's my husband" she nodded enthusiastically than pointed firm to her own chest "MY husband…he's mine"

"Uh…where's everybody?" he asked hurriedly

"Upstairs…Tara's room" he excused himself and climbed the stairs taking two at a time. He then knocked lightly at the door and entered the room where he saw Giles standing at the window and Dawn sitting on the armchair with a very quiet Ariel on her lap; turning his head he saw Willow and Tara lying in bed in what seemed to be a peaceful sleep

"They still out?" he asked concernedly. The watcher nodded and moved close to him

"How's Faith?" he asked

"Still in surgery" he informed "the doctors said there was a lot of damage"

"Buffy is still there?" Dawn asked from the chair

"Yeah…she's there with Kennedy praying for the slayer healing to kick in" he sighed and looked at Giles "shouldn't they be awake by now?"

"I don't…"

"Grandpa?" Ariel interrupted him

"Yes sweetie?"

"I think I know how to find them"

"You do?" she nodded and moved towards the bed "mama taught me something in case I ever got lost" the three grown ups exchanged glances while the little girl climbed onto bed and sat cross legged between her parents

"Giles…do you think…" Xander began to question

"Shh" the watcher silenced him and pointed to Ariel who was sat Indian style with her eyes closed holding each of her mothers' hands; she started chanting something under her breath and suddenly started to glow with a bright white light

Willow and Tara broke their embrace but kept their hands clasped together

"Tara, what is this place?" Willow asked still feeling a little frightened by the darkness

"I don't know" Tara replied honestly checking her surrounds

"How did we end up here?" the redhead asked again

"I have no idea" the blonde shook her head

"Okay" Willow nodded slowly "How do we get out of here?"

"I don't…what the…" a surge of a bright white light enveloped the whole place blinding the girls for a few seconds; they covered their eyes in order to block the light, but it suddenly started to dim and they could look directly to it; they watched the light take a shape of a giggling little girl. Tara smiled realizing who that was

"Hi honey" she grinned broadly and still holding Willow's hand, walked, literally, towards the light

Four weeks later

_Dear diary_

_I know it's been a while since I last updated you but this last month was a pretty crazy one. Okay, here's a brief on the latest events:_

_After Ariel rescued Tara and I from that…limbo (?) things didn't slow down for a while, especially for Faith; _

_it took the doctors six hours to fix the damage and as she'd lost a lot of blood, she needed a transfusion in order to live which was another problem once she has a rare type of blood, __it must be a slayer type or something cause, guess who was a match…so now Buffy and Faith share the same blood – and I don't think that's the only thing they share (evil grin)…I saw them sneaking glances and…sneaking from each other's bedroom (hehehe), but they haven't made it official yet…_

_anyway, because of the surgery Faith couldn't fly back with Giles who returned to England to take the ex witch-bitches to the council, so they could help them get back home…_

_speaking of the council, they sent another potential to be trained here; Nyoko, she's a Japanese girl, very pretty, Buffy is training her and told me that she and Kennedy had hit it off right away (happy grin) Kennedy deserves to be happy…_

_it looks that love is definitely in the air…Dawn announced last week that she's engaged to a pre-med student named Jason, she almost gave Buffy a heart attack, obviously they had huge arguments about that but Dawn put her foot down and Buffy is…learning to cope…_

_Oh, Xander and Anya are expecting their first child - "God have mercy on our souls" - that's what Giles said when he head about it (giggles). _

_Okay, Ariel…she is a fantastic little girl (proud puffed chest) We all thought she would be completely freaked from what happened, but no, she's totally fine…of course it took her a while to warm up to me again, after all she saw me hitting Tara (sad face) but she understands that it wasn't my fault and I am making up for everything…__I'm spoiling her rotten (big grin) I think Tara wants to strangle me sometimes, but I say that I'm doing my job and put my very best pup dog's eyes, she sighs and gives up…_

_speaking of Tara, you probably have figured out by now that she didn't go back to England, she decided to stay and try to work things out (yay…happy dance) she said something about, I quote, "trust has to be built again" and "if we can fit in each other's lives" and "it's a long and important process" but then she kissed me (a mind blowing kiss) we haven't had much of gay love yet but we are working on it…we decided to take things slow and rebuild our relationship on solid ground again; _

_and as for me, well I've made a very important decision (resolved face)…I'll never let her walk out of my life again…_

_It will be Willow and Tara forever._

The End


	28. Chapter 28

Hey Guys

I'd really, really like to thank all of you for the kind words and for staying with me till the end.

Like I said in the beginning, this was my first Willow and Tara fic and I'm glad you guys liked it. I have a few other ideas and maybe I'll start to write again soon.

And as for a sequel some of you asked, all I can say is that…I'll think about it ;-)

Special thanks for my Beta: Aline this was mostly your fault for bugging me to write, thank you

Love,

WA24


	29. Chapter 29

Hey guys,

This story has just been nominated for two awards:

**The abcficawards**

**Sunnydale Memorial Fanfiction Awards **

I just like to let you guys know about it and thank you all for the support.

Love you all,

Warrior Angel


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